Zelda 3: Cycle Of The Triforce
by Magus523
Summary: When the wizard Agahnim gives the nearly forgotten Ganon a way back into Hyrule after thousands of years, disaster threatens once again... Novelization.
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

The legends of the land of Hyrule state that the world began when three goddesses came upon it, new and chaotic. Through their combined powers, they were able to mold the fledgling world into what it is today. Din, Goddess of Power, stabilized the chaotic world and laid down the foundation of the earth itself. Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, brought further order to the world, setting law and logic into place. And Farore, Goddess of Courage, then created life… all things that live upon Hyrule. The three Goddesses looked upon their work then, and were satisfied, and so they departed Hyrule. And yet, some small portion of them remained… something that was less than a fraction of the Goddesses' power, and yet infinitely more than any mortal could ever hope to possess. This remnant took an equal fragment from its existence from all three Goddesses, and even moreso from their attributes… Power, Wisdom and Courage. This artifact was thus named the Triforce, and as the people of Hyrule grew in knowledge, they became aware of its existence.

Though the Triforce did not have a mind of its own, being merely an object with no soul, it nonetheless yearned for an owner, one who would use its power accordingly for the benefit of mankind. Each aspect of the Triforce had in its core a notion of the perfect wielder… the Forger of Power, the Keeper of Wisdom and the Juror of Courage. Together, the Triforce sought a mortal who embodied all three… but mortal man did not come. For the Triforce was not lying out for any to find. It had been hidden away in an echo of Hyrule known as the Golden Land… the Sacred Realm. A world like, and yet not like Hyrule, for it was only a reflection and possessed no separate existence. The gateway to the Golden Land was blocked away by unknown guardians, and for centuries it remained that way… but such things never last forever.

To the dismay of all, it was an evil man who was eventually gained access to the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf Dragmire, King of the Gerudo Thieves, coveted the Triforce. By manipulating all in the world of Hyrule around him, he was able to access it… and to take the Triforce. And yet… the Triforce was displeased, for there was imbalance in Ganondorf's heart. The King of the Gerudo valued power far more than he did courage or wisdom, and thus he could not contain all of the Triforce… only one of the three aspects. The other two rejected him and fled, now forced to actively seek out appropriate holders of their own volition. And this they did… Princess Zelda, daughter of the former King of Hyrule who had been killed by Ganondorf, became the Keeper of Knowledge… and a young boy named Link, who had been manipulated by Ganon into opening the way to the Sacred Realm, was chosen as the Juror of Courage. Together, they rose up against Ganondorf and all his power. The people of Hyrule rose with them, and six Sages joined the heroes in their struggle. Rauru of Light… Saria of Forest… Darunia of Fire… Ruto of Water… Impa of Shadow… and Nabooru of Spirit. Led by the Seventh Sage, Zelda of Time, the Sages gave Link all of their power and he confronted the man who would rule all of Hyrule. Though he was now the Forger of Power, Ganondorf was defeated.

And yet… such was the awesome power in even one-third of the Triforce that Ganondorf could not die. His mortal form was shed, and he was revived… transformed into a beastly monstrosity. From that day, Ganondorf Dragimire was no more… there was only GANON. But even as such, Ganon was defeated once more… and since his death seemed impossible, after Link had brought him down, the Seven Sages cast Ganon back into the Golden Land and then sealed it once more, stronger than before. For the rest of their lives, the Seven Sages strengthened the barrier more and more, piling enchantment upon enchantment upon it in the hopes that Ganon would be forever barricaded. Link, the Hero of Time, did his part as well to protect Hyrule once he had gone. Since he was no sorcerer, the mighty warrior instead founded the Knights of Hyrule, an order of men dedicated to upholding order in the land and preparing in case the worst came true someday, and Ganon returned.

Years passed, and the heroes of Hyrule grew old. Link and Zelda were not as foolish as Ganon; they knew their own mortality was only right and proper. And so when their times came, they died in peace instead of using their Triforces to extend their lives as Ganon had. The Triforce of Wisdom was passed along the bloodline of the royal family, willingly relinquished by Zelda… although none of her descendants have been able to consciously call upon its power as she did, it remains nonetheless. The Triforce of Courage is assumed to have done the same, though no record of Link's descendants is known. The other Sages left descendants as well and passed on in time. And the seasons turned, and Hyrule grew older, and memory of the atrocities of Ganon's rule faded from the minds of men. Hyrule flourished, the people of the Hylian race most of all, and the Triforce was forgotten save in misty legend. But though they had been forgotten by all but the most studious… the Triforce, and the Golden Land, and Ganon… they still remained, waiting.

And in time… darkness threatened Hyrule once more.

It was nearly midnight, and in Kakariko Village, most of the population were fast asleep. The only exceptions were Old Burt and George, who had gotten lost on their way home from the tavern, but they were in no state to notice anything either. Even the smithy was dark and silent; on many nights it would ring with the sounds of work at the strangest hours, an occurrence that eventually caused the other villagers to demand its relocation to a glen away from the other houses. But not tonight. Tonight, all was still… save for the rustling of two figures in the trees to the north, right on the line where the Village ended and the Lost Woods began.

"I still think this is a bad idea, father." The female of the pair, a teenaged girl wearing a light green tunic once favored by the legendary forest sprites, informed the other. "No, wait. It's not a bad idea, it's an AWFUL idea. This kind of experiment under the BEST of circumstances would be bad. Trying it like this…!"

"And I still think you worry too much, Jean." The older man also wore green, but there the similarities ended; his clothing was draping robes that cloaked his entire body below the neck. The only thing that marked them as father and daughter aside from a slight similarity in facial features was their hair, long and green as grass. "Honestly, you're almost as bad as the other elders."

"The other elders have been around for a lot longer than you, father." Jean reminded him. "Don't you think they might, after all their years, just MAYBE know what they're doing?"

"Most of the time, most of the time." Her father admitted. "But this phenomena is as new to them as it is to me… as it is to ANYBODY. This has never happened before… it may never again. We must take advantage of it while it lasts."

"It's just too dangerous, father!" Jean continued to protest. "The Sacred Realm was sealed away for a REASON. And all current evidence indicates that it's still the Dark World!"

"But that's not saying much. Current evidence is nearly nothing." The older man wagged his finger. "That's why this is necessary… we have to know what it's REALLY like over there. If the power of the Evil King has dwindled and died by now, then we will be able to take our time and prepare a perfect solution to the situation. If, on the other hand, the Forger still controls the Triforce and all its power, we will have no choice but to go with any plan we can in time. But we have to KNOW first."

"Have you even asked the others about this?" The young girl tried desperately as her father began shifting a pile of head-sized rocks, grunting with each one.

"Of course not!" He snorted. "You know what they'd say. 'You daft young fool, Agahnim, leave the work to your elders and betters.' Pah."

"They would NOT." Jean snorted back at him. "And you know it, father."

"Maybe… but they still wouldn't allow it." Agahnim frowned. "That's why we have to do this tonight… those 'circumstances' you talked about. This'll likely be the only night this year when BOTH of them are out of the village at the same time. All the other distortions are too close to the others… and we can't wait for more to appear. It has to be this one, and this the only time we can use it without them finding out." Jean raised an eyebrow.

"Sara and Lucy are both still there, you know. What if they investigate this?"

"Not likely, daughter mine." Agahnim smiled. "Nothing personal, but your generation still have a ways to go with your abilities. Even if they notice something they'll shrug it off. Ah, here we go…" Jean growled for a moment, then sighed as she saw the last rock roll off of the ground, revealing a perfectly square, shimmering blue hole of energy.

"All right. How are we going to do this?"

"It will all be perfectly safe." Agahnim began to explain. "We won't even touch it… I will enter a meditative trance that shall separate my mind from my body. I'll still be able to use my vocal chords to communicate, but the rest of my body will be inactive. It will be my MIND that enters the Sacred Realm. You see? Even if there are things there that could harm me, my body will still remain here. And, of course, you and me both are protected from any pull the portal might make upon our bodies by the ward our ancestor placed on all of her descendants."

"I still think this is a bad idea, but there's obviously no talking you out of it…" Jean shook her head. "Just be careful, father, and come back as quickly as possible."

"As long as my body does not enter the realm, the barrier will not block my return. Let's get started, then." Agahnim sank to the ground and closed his eyes. A moment later, his breathing stopped and his body froze. Jean waited anxiously, knowing that her father's projected soul would be invisible. After several moments, his voice spoke again, though his mouth remained motionless. "I'm through!"

"What do you see?" Jean asked. There was a momentary pause before Agahnim answered.

"Right here, it's not too different from our world… to be honest, it looks intentionally similar. The trees have purple leaves, though… and to the south, Kakariko certainly looks different… not evil, just sort of shabby…" He paused again. "It seems to be day out, as well… the sun's shining brightly. Not what you'd expect from a Dark World… but wait, what's that up there? Is that… an eyeball? Strange…"

"An eyeball?" Jean made a face. "Flying? Gross, but not really evil, I suppose… does it have wings?"

"Not, it just appears to be levitating…." Agahnim continued his report. "Hm, there are a couple of natives over there… how bizarre. One of them appears to be some sort of squid, and the other is nothing more than a large hand. They seem agitated about something, but they're too far away for me to hear them. The hand's pointing at that eye in the sky… wait, now I see something to its side, far away but approaching… a bat flying in…? Looks huge… hold it, something's up. Those two natives are fighting some nasty-looking red monster in a white robe… don't like the look of that grin on his face, no sir… whoa, how did that bat-" And then, suddenly, Agahnim screamed. He screamed long and loud, and yet his body remained completely motionless.

"Father!" Jean yelled. "What's wrong! Tell me!"

"Run…" Agahnim croaked. "Run… Jean… now… go… Gan…" Jean bit her lip.

"But…"

"GO!" Agahnim screamed again, and Jean turned towards the north, vanishing into the Lost Woods. Breathing heavily, she moved as fast as she could, ignoring branches and undergrowth. Behind her, the screaming had stopped. Tearing past angry animals who had been sleeping and surprised forest bandits, she headed towards the only place she could think of to go.

"The Grove of the Master Sword…" She gasped as she burst into the most secret place in Hyrule. Only her family and six others knew of its location. Jean felt a surge of relief as she saw the monument ahead of her… surely, whatever evil had scared her father would not be able to follow her here. Nothing that was evil could come here, to the most holy place in Hyrule… not even the Forger, the Evil King himself… and then she froze, paralyzed in terror, as she saw who was standing in front of the altar in the woods, waiting for her.

"Now, how did I know you would come here…" Agahnim smirked, eyes glowing like hot coals. "As I saw you running, I knew… I knew you had to be one of THEM. What a marvelous hand fate has dealt me… one down already."

"F… father?" Jean whispered in disbelief. Agahnim blinked.

"Father… oh ho! Your father… so I have netted a descendant for my own use as well! Fate smiles on me indeed… which one, I wonder? Our surroundings suggest the Forest Brat… well, no matter. All will suffer the same fate, in the end…" He placed his hands together, and as Jean watched in fear, an orb of glowing energy appeared between them. Before she could run, it was too late; the energy sphere struck her head on, sending her flying into a tree trunk. She slid to the ground, unconscious. Agahnim chuckled again. "Ho ho… six more to go. I must wonder what you two fools thought you were doing… but no matter. If you wish to see the Dark World so badly… than I shall let you." Picking up Jean's unconscious body, he carried her back to the shimmering square of energy. As he stepped up to it, however, both he and his captive were hurled back in a shower of bright white sparks that erupted from their bodies.

"AGH! What…? Some kind of protection?" The wizard tried again, several times, all with the same result; even attempting to throw the girl in from a distance had no success. "So… THEY anticipated this possibility and took steps… but I have had far, far longer to prepare than they did. There are other methods. And then…" His eyes glowed even brighter than before. "And then… I shall be free at last! I only hope that HE has some descendant remaining… so that I may send his spawn to join him in the afterlife, piece by piece. And that is the least you deserve, for what you did to me… LINK."

And the Lost Woods were filled with the echoing sound of maddened laughter.


	2. Chapter 1: Those Who Do Not Heed

**_Chapter 1: Those Who Do Not Heed_**

"Slash! Jab! Parry! Thrust! Slash! Cleave! Thrust! Cleave! Jab! Jab! Parry! Slash!" A booming voice like a drill sergeant's filled the air of southern Hyrule as the sun set. A purple rabbit in a waistcoat twitched its nose in irritation at the noise before diving into the grass. "Right then, how many's that? Two hundred? Three, maybe? What do you mean, it's five hundred already? Are you sure, lad? Fine, fine… and just where do you think you're going, my lad? Ha, thought I'd forget, did you? You've still got your shield training to do! No complaining, you'll thank me someday! Right then… left! Left! Left! Right! Left! Up! Right! Up! Right! Down! Forward! Forward!" An old lady, walking along the path east from Kakariko Village, chuckled as she heard the bellowing.

"He never lets that poor boy have a single day's respite…" As she neared her destination, she could hear the thumps of wood hitting wood repeatedly. This continued until she was climbing the final hill, when she heard instead a grunt of pain.

"Ha! Told you that your defense was still weak! You've done better on the sword, I'll grant you that, lad. But your shield's just as important! It's no good sticking your sword in the other man if he's already gotten his into you! Be glad I was only using the flat of my blade! If you had learned off of old Captain Hassan, like I did, you'd be walking away from that mistake with a new scar!" Incomprehensible mumble. "What was THAT? I DON'T think it was sir, yes, sir!" Another muffled grunt. "Try again, lad!"

"Sir, yes sir." This time, the old woman could hear young Link's response. Finally reaching the hilltop, she smiled at what she saw. Link was sitting on the ground, shield and sword lying near him. Though he and his uncle lived alone a good way east of Kakariko Village, Link had still been a common sight among the other children running through the streets when he was younger. Now a sturdy young man of eighteen, his normally cheerful visage was at the moment replaced by a tired frown. In front of him, the man who had been doing all the yelling stood, smiling slightly underneath his huge mustache. Link's uncle Albert was a hefty man in his forties. Once a Knight of Hyrule, he had left the service after the deaths of Link's parents and raised the boy as his own. Now in his late forties, many would assume that the grizzled former knight's skills had left him, and they would be wrong; under his tutelage, Link would become a master of the sword. Eventually.

"Working hard, boys?" The old lady greeted them cheerfully, and both heads turned to face her.

"Miz Emma!" Albert grinned and sheathed his sword. "What are you doing out here so late?"

"Well, I didn't know it was this late when I set out." Emma admitted. "I just thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing, and bring by a few things…" She winked as she held up the basket she was carrying. "Know you both too well, that's my problem. Neither of you'd notice your larder was empty until the entire thing had collapsed."

"You're too kind to us, Miz Emma." Link smiled and jumped to his feet, taking the basket from her. "What would we do without her, eh, Uncle?"

"Die, probably." Albert chuckled. "You're probably right, Miz Emma; we'll appreciate this tonight. Thank you. I'll go by Lake Hylia tomorrow to replenish our food stores, and I'll bring back a few of those crab claws you like so much for you."

"And I'll accompany you back to the Village." Link nodded. "My uncle's right, it's too late out. It's the least I can do in thanks for this."

"Why, thank you both." Emma smiled. "But your dinner'll be cold by the time it gets back if you do that, Link."

"Better cold than none." Link shrugged, picking up his equipment, and Emma gave in.

"All right, if you're determined. Let's be off, then." She blinked. "Oh, Albert. The Chief-no, I suppose he'd just be Sahasrala now-sent a letter back to the town. Says he wants to talk to you sometime, though how he'll do that now is beyond me, wherever he is…" Albert's smile vanished.

"Hmph… very well. I suppose eventually I'll see him again… we can talk then. No reason not to. Go on, lad, take Miz Emma back home."

"See you in a bit, Uncle." Link nodded, and they set off. As they walked back down the path to the west, Link's eyes fell upon a wanted sign next to the road, and he scowled.

"I will give a hundred rupees to anybody with information on the descendants of the Seven Sages. The King. Ha!" He angrily chopped the sign in half. "The King? Yeah, right. Why don't they just sign it 'Agahnim the Wizard?' It's not like anybody doesn't know." Emma nodded gravely.

"It was a dark day when that man came to Hyrule Castle. At least Sahasrala's letter proves that he's still uncaptured, though I wish I could say the same for his poor daughter…"

Ten years ago, rumors began running through Hyrule of a mysterious calamity. People had begun disappearing without a trace, never to be seen again, and strange monsters had been seen on the rampage here and there. In addition, the weather had been behaving oddly… violently… and many people felt an inexplicable feeling of dread towards the future. Respected elders across Hyrule, including King Lucas IV, had struggled to assure the people that everything was under control, but the problems continued; eight years past, Link's own parents had been two of the victims. And then Agahnim arrived. Emerging from the Lost Woods in the northeast, the mysterious sorcerer had journeyed to Hyrule Castle and pledged his services to the King. Using his vast magical arts, he was able to calm the weather and stop the monsters from appearing. And yet, the people did not trust Agahnim. With good reason; more and more, it seemed the sorcerer was the one who truly controlled Hyrule Castle. None had seen King Lucas in months, and the once-revered Knights of Hyrule were now little more than mindless slaves, obeying Agahnim's every command without question. Seemingly random people would be rounded up and taken to the Castle, and none of them had been released. Agahnim might have solved one disaster… but he brought another far worse in exchange.

"Has anybody else disappeared from the village?" Link asked sadly as they continued walking.

"Well, there's still no word from Simon or Larry." The old woman sighed. "Simon is understandable, considering his family, but Larry… Mr. George has been more depressed than ever. And of course, there's Mr. Tom and his granddaughter…"

"Wait, Tom the Smith?" Link's eyes widened. "And Wendy? I hadn't heard about that!"

"They both vanished when Sahasrala's daughter was taken." Emma explained. "Not even Mr. Harry knows what happened to them… he's been worrying his head off. We're all afraid the soldiers took them for some reason too, but…"

"But nobody can do anything about that." Link finished. "Agahnim's got his hand around Hyrule, and none of us can do a blasted thing." He shook his head as they reached the edge of Kakariko Village. "Here we are, then. Miz Emma… please don't take a risk like this again. It's not just wild animals you have to worry about this late any more. If the soldiers had found you…"

"Yes, I know." Emma nodded. "Thank you, Link."

"Just be more careful, please." Link smiled briefly. "I'll be heading back, then." As he walked back the way he had came, he saw another identical wanted sign. The young man started to raise his sword, then lowered it. "Won't so any good… the damn things are everywhere anyways. Another'll be up tomorrow, even if they don't serve any purpose… that's just the kind of man Agahnim is. If he is a human." Sheathing his sword, Link set off back towards home, muttering to himself.

"Should be a good half hour before he returns." Albert grunted as he closed the equipment cabinet in his house. "Might as well get this over with, then…" Reaching behind the cabinet, he pulled out a long metal rod. Taking a tube of adhesive from a drawer, he coated one end of the rod with it, then reached that up to the ceiling. After a minute of probing in the rafters, when the old warrior withdrew the rod there was a burlap sack attached to it. Inside this were eight candles. Seven of them bore the emblems of the seven legendary Sages of Hyrule… Fire, Water, Forest, Spirit, Shadow, Light, and Time. The eighth was marked with a sword. Placing the eight candles in a circle on the floor, Albert lit them one by one, the sword-marked one last. Each burned with a flame of a different, unnatural color. When he was done, Albert stood over the last candle and waited as the room grew darker. Within moment, nothing was visible save a small sphere of light around each flame… and then others were there. Two men, hooded and robed to mask their identities, were standing above the candles of Light and Spirit. The others remained empty. Albert raised an eyebrow. "Only two? Are the others busy?"

"No, Albert… they will not come to this summons at any time now." The man above the Light candle threw back his hood, revealing himself as an ancient, lean-faced elder with a high, bald head and a white beard. "Tom has not been seen in some time… and Quincy was killed yesterday."

"Damn…" Albert growled. "You made the right move getting out of there, Sahasrala. What about the others?"

"Morris remains silent… he refuses to heed the summons, just as he has ever since he left our fellowship." The other man sighed. "And we have heard nothing from the King ever since we became aware of Agahnim's betrayal."

"So it's down to us, then…" Albert chuckled grimly. "And yet, I'll guess you still have no real idea what the heck Agahnim's trying to do, do you?"

"We… are attempting to discover this." Sahasrala said uncertainly. "You know that, Albert. My daughter… and Aginah's… surely you must realize that we are giving our utmost to fix this calamity."

"Maybe I do…" Albert admitted. "But that doesn't mean I know you're telling me everything YOU know. As a matter of fact, I'm actually pretty sure you're not. You never do, and you're not the sort of folks who'd change… even for this."

"You dare-!" Aginah growled.

"I dare, all right." Albert snarled. "Don't even TRY and convince me that I've ever had an equal part of this. When my old man passed away, his will directed me to these candles, and I discovered who he'd been… who _I_ was. You told me that, and then years passed before I ever saw any of you in this role again. I only found out who YOU were by dumb luck, Sahasrala."

"And I apologize for that." Sahasrala bowed his head. "But this is the way it has always been done. We cannot change that."

"And that's the way it'll be done when I'm gone, is it?" Albert inquired coldly. "DON'T deny it. I don't have any kids, and I never will… and my brother's dead. Which means the only one left to carry on the line after me is my nephew, who by some coincidence just HAPPENS to be named Link!"

"Does the word 'chance' cross your mind?" Aginah demanded.

"Not since I looked up the old pictures of HIM!" Albert shot back. "Now that my nephew's eighteen, he looks almost exactly like HIM! That's no coincidence, so stop insulting my intelligence!"

"Even so, why do you blame us for that?" Sahasrala inquired mildly. "Surely you don't think we somehow influenced your brother and his wife when they chose a name for their son?"

"For all I know, you could have!" The warrior threw his hands into the air. "I've felt you watching the boy from afar, all of you! Even Morris and Lucas! Trying to gauge his gods-damned _potential!_" He spat. "Well, I've got news for you. Link isn't the answer to this problem. I'll be doing what my dad did, and that's keeping him completely unaware of all of this until I'm on my deathbed. And that's years off yet."

"And what if none of us are in existence then?" Aginah shook his head. "This is a crisis, Albert! If we don't stop Agahnim, Hyrule itself may be destroyed!"

"And what can Link do to stop that?" Albert wondered. "He's still just a lad. No, he's not the answer you're looking for. And before you ask, neither am I. I left the Knights of Hyrule when the boy became my responsibility, and that action carries the same meaning here. You two'll have to find some way of dealing with Agahnim that doesn't involve me or my nephew, and that's the end of it. Good day, sirs." Bending over, he extinguished his candle, and as he did the scene around him vanished to be replaced by his house. Sighing, he put out all the candles one by one and placed them back in the bag; as usual, none of them had melted one bit. "He's just too young… he can't do it. I have to keep him well out of it… or they'll get him killed. Not on purpose, of course, even I have to admit that… but they won't keep him out of things that are too much for him, and sooner or later… no." Shaking his head, he closed the bag and picked up the metal rod; he had to hide the candles before his nephew returned.

Link had returned home to find his uncle in a strangely depressed mood. After eating the dinner Emma had brought them, both of them had turned in for the night. Now, the young man was fast asleep… but tonight, his dreams were strange.

"Where… am I?" Link wondered as he looked around. He was standing on a ridge high above Hyrule. To the south, he saw Hyrule Castle looming above everything else… everything else but where he was. "Am I on Death Mountain?" Looking around some more, he saw several people clustered around something. Most of them were wearing the armor of the Knights of Hyrule; among them was his uncle. "Uncle Al? Strange…" Six others were wearing robes and hoods that concealed their forms. Shrugging, Link turned to one of the few who was not wearing either armor or robes, and again his eyes widened in recognition. "King Lucas!" He stared at the last two there, and this time he did not speak. They were his parents.

"This is it… we found it just like this, your majesty." Link's father was indicating something on the ground that they were all clustered around. He seemed not to see or hear Link; neither did the rest of them. "I don't know what it is, but it looks like bad news."

"So it seems…" The King agreed. Walking over there, Link took a look at the center of the crowd. There was a blue square of shimmering energy there. As he watched, it suddenly began glowing.

"Get back!" One of the hooded figures yelled. "Something's coming through!" As they all jumped away, something climbed out of the portal as if from a deep hole. First one heavily muscled arm grabbed the edge, and then the rest was pulled up… completely ignoring the fact that the beast was far too large to have fit through the square portal. It seemed at first to be a brawny, heavily muscled man, wearing animal furs… but then it turned its head, and Link saw that its face was bristling with fangs, and only a single eye was set above it. Growling, the monster pulled something out of a large sack on its back; a green metal sphere with a string attached to it, which it lit with a match.

"A bomb!" King Lucas realized. "Get down, everybody!" Growling, the monster lobbed the weapon at the most helpless targets; Link's parents. Both of them screamed once as the explosion slammed them into the cliff's side, then fell silent, smoking. Bellowing with rage, Alfred charged the monstrosity, and the other Knights joined him, but before they could reach it, the cyclops had picked Link's parents up, one in each hand. Even as Alfred's sword swung at the beast's neck, it had already hurled them at the portal… and as their limp bodies hit it, they vanished. Alfred's sword sunk into the monster's neck… and lodged there. The cyclops laughed once, but no more; the swords of the other Knights were upon it then, and even it was no match for so many. As its body collapsed, King Lucas drew near the portal.

"Is there any way to bring them back?" He demanded of one of the robed figures, the one who had called the warning.

"No… none." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Albert… we can't bring them back." Albert simply stared at him, eyes furious… and the scene around Link disappeared.

"WHOA!" The young man yelled as, after a few chaotic moments, another place formed around him. Now, he was standing outside Hyrule Castle. Link shook his head. "Was that… was that what happened to my parents? Uncle Al never told me the specifics… just that they were gone… then what's going on here?" The drawbridge was down, and every Knight on duty was raising their sword in salute as another one of their kind walked out, face like stone. It was Albert. As he walked off the drawbridge, somebody ran up behind him; a golden-haired girl of ten in a regal dress.

"Commander Albert, please don't go!" Link choked.

"Commander!"

"It's just Albert now, princess." Link's uncle smiled sadly at her. "It's too late… once I left the castle there was no turning back. Really, there was none far before that, when I told your father of my decision. But it's true even more now. I've left the order, princess… I'm not a Knight any more."

"But why?" The Princess demanded. "We need you here… father needs you! You're the one he relies on the most! Why did you do this? He won't tell me!"

"He won't?" Albert's eyes hardened. "Well, that's not right. You do have a right to know." He sighed. "Princess… my brother and his wife disappeared a week ago. There… was an incident involved with the problems in Hyrule lately, and they were both caught up in it… they vanished, and they're not coming back. For all intents and purposes, they're dead. They had a son… my nephew Link. I have to take care of him now… and if I stayed here, he'd get caught up in this mess too. I can't let that happen… so I'm going to bring him up away from the Castle, away from everything."

"But what if we need you?" The Princess whispered. "What if my father needs you? What if I need you?" Albert frowned.

"Your father… won't call me back, princess. He won't. I think he knows more about this than he's telling me… and his pride as the King… no. But…" He shook his head. "Zelda… if you truly need me for something… if there is something that absolutely must be stopped, that nobody else can do… call me. I will return to aid you. This I swear on my sword, as a Knight of Hyrule… and on the grave of my ancestor, the Hero of Time."

"What…?" Link whispered, stunned by this revelation. "His ancestor… the Hero of Time? But that means I'm…" Before he could complete that thought, the world swirled and vanished again… and this time, no new world formed. There was only a voice.

_Help me… please, help me. Albert… I need your help. For eight years I have respected your decision… but now I have nowhere else to turn, and no hope remaining. Albert… it's me. Zelda. You know of the Wizard Agahnim, I'm sure… but what the others haven't told you… is what he's been doing. Albert… the portals lead to the Dark World. And Agahnim… has been sending the descendants of the Seven Sages to there. Tonight, he works his dark magic on the sixth one… and then only I will remain. Even his own daughter, I fear, was a victim to his evil. Agahnim controls the entire castle now… and he has locked me up in the dungeon. Tomorrow night, Agahnim will send me to the Dark Realm as well… and that will shatter the seal placed upon it by the Sages! He is a servant of the Forger of Power… the Evil King! He serves Ganon! Albert… please help me! You're the only one left! _

"Uh…" Link shook his head as he awoke. "What… was that? Weird dream…" He blinked; downstairs, he heard a clanking sound. "Huh?" Throwing on some leggings and a green tunic, he ran downstairs. His uncle was opening the front door, holding sword and shield.

"You're awake, Link?" Albert wondered. "What… no, never mind. Listen… I'm going out. Stay here and go back to sleep."

"What?" Link blinked. "But… where are you going?"

"That's… none of your business." Albert answered curtly. "Just get back to sleep… I'll be back in the morning."

"But-" Link started to protest again, then stopped as his uncle turned around. Albert's eyes were burning with a fury that Link had never imagined him to be capable of. "Oh… okay. Okay…" Albert nodded, then slammed the door behind him. But Link did not go back to sleep; he simply sat in a chair, thinking.

"That dream… was it a dream?" He wondered. "It seemed so… real. Like memories… but I never saw any of that. I never knew how my parents disappeared… or that Uncle Al was once Commander of the Knights… and especially not that my family's descended from the Hero of Time." He frowned. "Could it be… Uncle Al's memories instead? Somehow, I got hooked up to his dreams… but that last part didn't seem like a memory. It was… a message… for help. From Princess Zelda…" Like most people in Hyrule, Link had only seen the King's daughter from a distance, and had never actually met her, though she was the same age as him. "Maybe… she meant to send it to Uncle Al, and somehow accidentally did the same to me. But then… that means Uncle Al's going to the castle to save her!" He jumped up. "Stay here? To hell with THAT!" Crossing to the equipment cabinet, he swore; all that was in there was their old lantern. "Damn… he hid my gear! No time to look for it… this'll have to do." He picked up the lantern, pulled on a cap and left the house. It was raining heavily, but Link ignored it and headed north, towards Hyrule Castle.

"Lot of Knights out tonight…" Link muttered to himself as he continued down the path, making sure to stay away from the telltale glint. On a night like this, the Knights sent out their finest men, the Gold, whose armor was more visible to each other then the other colors would be in the downpour. Fortunately, Link's own clothes were much drabber, and he was able to remain unseen until he approached the castle. "No sign of Uncle Al… not good. He must already be inside…" He walked across the bridge to the castle, then paused; another glint of metal was visible through the rain in front of the closed gate.

"Hey, hey!" A voice yelled, and Link jumped as the Knight on duty in front of the gate approached him. "Who are… here now, you're just a kid! What are you doing out here, son?"

"Uh…" Link thought quickly; through the rain, the Knight would still be unable to see him too clearly. As he spoke, he changed his voice in an attempt to sound younger. "I'm looking for my uncle, sir. He hasn't come home yet."

"Well, he won't be in the castle, that's for sure, son." The Knight chuckled, but it sounded strange… wooden, automatic. "Tell you what, though, I'll tell everybody to keep an eye out for anybody. Now go on home and get some sleep, huh? You can stay up late when you're older!"

"Yes, sir." Link nodded and turned around. _Damn… no way I can get in. How did Uncle Al make it…_

_Albert…_ Link froze as he heard the voice in his thoughts again. _Be careful, Albert… the Knights belong to Agahnim now. They will not let you into the palace… you'll have to use the secret way into the basement… outside the east wall…_

"Bingo…" Link whispered to himself. Once across the moat, there was a thin strip of land around the castle walls. Checking to make sure the Knight had returned to his position, Link snuck back across the bridge, this time heading to the right, around the castle walls. "Outside the east wall… a secret passage…" Walking forward, he stumbled into an area overgrown with bushes. "Around here, somewhere…" Searching, he soon found it; a hole in the ground, deeper than he could see. "This has to be it… simple, but effective. Better be careful… don't know how deep it is…" Link hit himself on the side of the head. "Duh! The lantern I brought!" Crouching over the hole to keep the rain from putting it out, he lit the lantern and looked down. "Hm… ten-foot drop, looks like… manageable. And that's stone down there… this is it, all right."

"There you are, Albert…" A voice came from the hole. "I was wondering how much longer it would be before you showed up…"

"Agahnim!" Albert's voice echoed out of the passage as well. "How did you know I was coming?" Link jumped.

"Agahnim? Aw, no!" Jumping down, he quickly ran down the passage, but all he saw ahead of him was empty space, stretching on.

"Did you think I wouldn't sense Zelda's little call for help?" The first voice-Agahnim's voice-laughed. "Please. It figures that, after staying out of it for this long, you only come when SHE calls. When the others asked you, you turned your back on them, but SHE's different…"

"Far better than what you've done, you traitorous scum!" Albert roared. As he kept running forward, Link heard a noise like a crack of thunder, a pained scream and triumphant laughter… and then he saw the passage turn left. Racing around the corner, he looked around quickly and instantly spotted the only thing visible. Albert, sitting against a wall.

"Uncle Al! Are you okay?" He ran up.

"Uh… Link…" Albert looked up, and Link took a step back in shock. His uncle's entire body was badly charred, as if he had been struck by lightning, and he was bleeding from several large wounds in his chest. "Link… what are you… doing here?"

"I came to help you…" Link whispered. "What… what happened to you?"

"Agahnim… was waiting for me." Albert groaned. "Knew… I was coming. Tried to fight him, but… I never had a chance. Gone now, thank the Goddesses… strolled off after he blasted me. Listen, Link… I don't have much time. He got me… I'm dying, lad."

"No…" Link shook his head numbly. "No! You can't die… you… you were the commander of the Knights!"

"So you know about that…" Albert coughed. "Yes, Link… I was. Past tense… not any more. The Knights… have fallen, Link. They're under Agahnim's control… their minds are his. The castle… is his. He controls… it all."

"All except the princess?" Link demanded. "You came here to rescue her, didn't you, uncle?"

"Heh… looks like… I wasted my time… trying to keep you… out of all this." Albert chuckled grimly. "Figures… even after I told you… not to leave the house. Link… you're the only one now. Go… into the dungeon… save Princess Zelda. Or else… Hyrule shall fall." He coughed again, spewing blood this time. "Look for… two Knights… Remos and Romulos… brothers. The best… after me. If any would… have any mind left at all… those two would. They might… help you. The others… are nothing but… walking corpses, Link. Do what you have to… just get down there… and save Princess Zelda."

"I… will, Uncle." Link promised. "I'll do it."

"I… know you will." Albert grinned weakly. "You can… do it, Link. Save her. Zelda… she is… your…" His voice trailed off, and his head slumped.

"She is… what?" Link asked. "What, Uncle?" There was no response from Albert. Link shook him, slowly at first and then more frantically. "Come on, Uncle… say something! Please!" But there was nothing more the old Knight could say, ever again. Link let go of him and bowed his head for a moment. "Uncle… who were you? Who were those men in the robes? One was Chief Sahasrala, from Kakariko Village… but who were the others? Who IS Agahnim? I never knew… you were involved in that kind of thing at all." Slowly, he stood up. "But I'll find out… and one of these days… I'll kill Agahnim for this. With your sword, and your shield… I'll kill that wizard. I swear it." The sword and shield lay at his Uncle's feet; picking them up, Link stood. "I'm sorry I can't take you out of here and bury you properly, uncle… but you knew that when you told me to rescue the Princess, no matter what. That, at least, I shall do for you." Turning away from his uncle's body, Link continued down the passage until a set of stairs brought him out into the castle's courtyard. Two Knights of Hyrule were milling around aimlessly. "Green armor… the lowest order. Still, best to avoid them if possible…" By crawling under the bushes, Link was able to reach the door into the castle proper unseen. Once he entered the Grand Hall, however, he realized that there were several more Knights of the Green inside there, all armed with daggers.

"Hey, who's that?" One of them called.

"Just some kid intruder." Another answered. "Somebody kill him." However, none of the Knights seemed particularly interested, and so Link made the first move, driving his sword through the visor of one of them. Most people his age would have been uncomfortable, to say the least, at killing another human… but Link had stood at his uncle's side warding off bandits from outside Hyrule's borders attacking Kakariko Village. And besides, as Albert had said, these poor Knights were not truly alive any more anyways… their eyes were glassy, their faces wooden. They were just puppets for Agahnim now… the two remaining didn't even yell when Link pulled his sword out of their comrade and charged them. They simply thrust their daggers at him, and watched him dodge and strike back, slicing them in halves. Looking around at the gore on the expensive red carpet, Link shuddered.

"Well, so much for not getting noticed… they'll raise the alarm once they see THIS for sure. Better get going…" He paused. "Except I'm not sure WHERE the dungeons are… problematic. Just have to look, I suppose…" Choosing a door on his left, Link set off. The halls of Hyrule Castle were almost mazelike in construction; several times, Link emerged into rooms he had been to before. More Knights of the Green patrolled the halls, but they were as inept as the ones in the grand hall had been, and Link disposed of them all. Eventually, he opened an ornate-looking door, convinced that here would be the dungeons… and emerged onto a balcony around the throne room. Looking down, he saw a large, wide figure sitting on the throne.

"Huh? King Lucas!" Link ran forward, then stopped in shock as he saw the throne's occupant more clearly. Clad in royal robes, with a crown on its head and a scepter in its hand, a human skeleton grinned eyelessly at nothing. "…So he's dead. I should have guessed. Agahnim truly does control everything in Hyrule now." Shaking his head, Link started looking again, and soon found another door different from the others. "All right… now, THIS door is the dungeon…" It turned out to lead to the castle's roof. Sighing, he looked around and spotted the entrance to the Castle Tower. "Hm… Agahnim's probably in there…" Crossing to it, he blinked; a barrier of glowing energy stretched across it, flashing through every color in the rainbow every second. At the center of the barrier, the energy formed an orb with a pair of evil eyes glaring out at him. "Some kind of security system…?"

"That's right, boy." A voice behind him said. "I wouldn't touch it, if I were you." Spinning around, Link saw a Knight of the Gold standing behind him, hands raised. "Don't worry, I won't bite like the rest of them." Indeed, his voice lacked the mechanical quality of the other Knights Link had encountered; there was only a great weariness. "Hey… you look kind of like a guy I knew once. Are you related to a man named Albert, by any chance?" Link decided to go for broke.

"That's right… and would you be either Sir Remos or Sir Romulos?"

"Remos is my name… Albert must have told you." The Knight chuckled grimly. "Romulos, though… he's fallen, just like the rest of them have. My brother… if you find HIM in the castle, you'll have to kill him. Not that that's likely, since he's been assigned to guard Princess Zelda's cell." Link frowned.

"You say you're not like the others… and yet you speak so calmly of the Princess' imprisonment?"

"That's right, kid." Remos sighed. "Listen, Agahnim's spells are incredibly powerful. I'm the last one… and even I won't be able to resist it forever. It takes all of my willpower just to retain my own thoughts… actual action is beyond me. Before long, I WILL be like the others. There's nothing I can do for the Princess."

"…Yes, there is." Link disagreed. "You can tell me which way the dungeons are." Remos gave him an incredulous stare, then laughed.

"You're a relative of Albert's, all right. Okay, kid. Go through the door opposite of the one you came in by, and then head straight towards the back of the castle. The dungeon entrance is in the rear."

"Got it." Link nodded. "Thanks, Sir Remos."

"And hey… take this with you." Remos pulled something out of his armor; a small purple boomerang. "Albert gave this to me when he left the Knights. Goddesses know I won't be using it for any good purpose any more." Nodding, Link left him alone on the roof and followed the path he had been told. In the rear of the castle, he found a door opened onto stairs, leading downward. Following them down led him to a large room without much of a floor. The only way across was a thin strip of land that widened at several points, each with a Knight on it, these ones with purple armor and shining swords. On either side of the path, huge pits waited, too deep for him to see the bottom even with his lantern. "This looks like a good place to use this thing…" Pulling out the boomerang, Link waited until the closest Knight wandered near the edge, then tossed it. The flying projectile struck him in the head, and he tumbled over the side, wailing. The remaining soldiers, hearing this, saw Link and decided on a plan of action that left something to be desired; namely, charging onto the narrow portion of the path. One by one, Link knocked them off as well and continued on. At the other end of the path, more stairs led down. And at their bottom, Link finally found what he had been searching for. Rows of cells lined the room, but only one occupant was visible; he wore black armor and a horned helmet. As he saw Link, he jumped to his feet.

"Who are you? How did you get down here?"

"Sir Romulos, I presume." Link inclined his head. "A Knight of the Black… judging by how my Uncle trusted you, you're probably the head."

"Your uncle…" Romulos' eyes narrowed. "Then… you're the nephew of Albert? Hm… no matter. It seems he taught you enough to get you past those fools of the Purple, but I'm a different story. Prepare to die!" Reaching under the table he had been sitting at, Romulos drew out a spherical spiked metal orb the size of his head, on a length of heavy chain. Yelling a battlecry, he whirled it above his head and then swung it out at Link, who narrowly dodged. Before Link could move in for a counterattack, though, Romulos was swinging it again, and once again the young warrior was forced to scramble to avoid having his head bashed in by the heavy steel ball. "Ha… that's right, keep running! I'll hit you eventually!"

"Can't get close to him until I stop him from attacking…" Link muttered to himself, looking around the room. "What can I… aha!" There were a few clay chamber pots in one corner. Grabbing a used one, Link turned and hurled it straight at Romulos' head.

"Ha! Won't get me that easily!" Romulos crowed as he smashed it, then choked as the second pot Link threw hit him, straight in the face. His helmet protected him from the force of the blow, but the contents of the pot had gone through his visor, straight into his face. Cursing and sputtering, he attempted to clear it away, but was unable to fit his gauntleted hand into the helmet. A moment later, he felt his chain mace yanked from his grasp. "No! You cur! Wait until I get my hands on you-" He screamed as he felt the sword blows.

"What hands?" Link deadpanned as Romulos clutched at his head with the stumps. "You're finished… sir." It took several more blows to get through the helmet, but eventually the Knight lay still. Stepping over the corpse, Link checked the cells until he came to the last one. Stepping in front of it, he saw Princess Zelda for the first time.

"You've come, Al… you're not Albert! Who…?" She was a beautiful girl of around Link's own age with long golden hair, wearing a simple blue dress. And yet… Link could not shake the feeling of having somehow seen her before. An image entered his mind, of a garden deep inside the courtyard of a palace that both was and somehow was not Hyrule Castle… both of them younger… Link shook his head.

_What was that about? _He wondered. _That never happened… bizarre. Control yourself, Link… this is no time to go nuts._ "I'm Albert's nephew, Link." He introduced himself, looking down. "Uncle Al, he… I'm afraid… he didn't make it. Agahnim was waiting for him."

"Oh, no… I'm so sorry…" Zelda lowered her head as well. "He must have sensed my message… I never meant to… to…"

"I know… he knew." Link assured her. "He wouldn't have had it any other way… and after I get you out of here, his spirit can rest peacefully."

"Yes…" Zelda's head came up. "Your name is Link, you say… how much did your uncle tell you about… the Sages?"

"Nothing." Link shook his head. "When you sent your message, I picked up on it, and got some of his memories… but not enough. Do you know about them?"

"Yes… but we can't stop to talk." Zelda decided. "Agahnim controls all the Knights of Hyrule, as you've obviously figured out. We'll never be able to get out the front way… but there's a secret passage."

"Where is it?" Link asked as he searched Romulos' corpse for the key to her cell. Finding it, he opened the door.

"The throne room." The Princess explained as she walked out. "I only worry… about my father…" Link lowered his head.

"…I'm sorry, Princess. I saw… your father as I was looking for this place. He's… dead too."

"…As I feared." Zelda whispered. "We've both lost somebody dear to us, then…" Link nodded.

"Yeah… and the same man was responsible. Agahnim." The young warrior spat on the ground. "He's too strong now… but one of these days, I'm going to kill him. I swear it." Zelda's eyes flashed.

"Yes… and I'll help you. But for now, we need to move before Agahnim notices anything and comes down here." The two of them practically raced back up the castle proper, and from there to the grand hall. Link had thought Zelda might be disturbed by the corpses lying around, but if she was she gave no sign; she simply ran along with him. As they entered the throne room, however, she slowly stopped. "Father…"

"…" To both of their surprise, the skeleton's skull turned to stare at her. After a stunned moment, Link stepped forward.

"Damn… Agahnim made him into some kind of guard. I'm sorry, Princess, but I'm going to have to deal with… this."

"I understand." Zelda assured him. "I'll open the passage… it's in the back, behind the ornamental shelf. You have a light, I hope?"

"Never leave home without one." Link tossed her his lantern as he stepped forward to square off with the former King. "Dark in there?"

"It's the sewers." Zelda explained as she carefully edged around the walls. The skeleton took no notice of her now; all its focus was on the one with the sword. "It stinks, I know-in more than one way-but it's the only way out that we have."

"Just open it up while I hold him off!" Link instructed as he watched the skeleton for moves. When it was still a good five feet away, the King reared back as if to deliver a punch… and his skeletal fist actually flew off, heading at Link's face. Even as he swiped it away with his sword, the young warrior knew that the other hand would follow it, and he sliced at the air before his face again without even looking. Two bony hands clattered to the floor, and Link rushed at the King, sword first. The charge hit the king right in the chest, and ribs tumbled out from the bottom of the robes, dislocated. The King, unimpressed, lunged and took a bite out of Link's shoulder. "Yow!" Wincing, Link swung his sword one-handed and knocked off the skull, then jumped again; something was grabbing his feet. Looking down, he saw that the disconnected hands had crawled over to his ankles. The King's body was now trying to throw itself on him in a tackle, and the skull was actually jumping around, clacking its teeth. Link shook his head. "Damn… I can't beat this with just a sword!"

"You don't have to!" Zelda called. "It's open!" Looking, Link saw that the passage was gaping widely. Shaking off all parts of the King, he ran for it.

_I'm sorry, your majesty._ He thought. _I can't put you to rest right now… but the next time I come back here, I will. I promise._ He looked at Zelda, running alongside him. "So, where are we going in the sewers?"

"I know my way through here… my father instructed me on it. This has been a secret escape way for my family ever since this Castle was built." Zelda explained. "There's a way that leads into the back of the Sanctuary Chapel, north of here."

"I know it." Link nodded approvingly. "Father Brian's a good man… he'll help us. And Agahnim won't be able to track us through it?"

"Only my father and me know the way… and even when Agahnim was tricking us, my father would never tell him that." Zelda assured him. "We'll be safe there, for a little while at least, until we can figure out what to do next."

"And then…" Link smiled grimly. "We figure out how to take Hyrule back… and take Agahnim down, hard."

"Who should tell him?"

"He is the master…"

"But he'll kill whoever it is…"

"Somebody has to…" Even under Agahnim's mind control, the Knights of Hyrule were milling around uncertainly on the roof of Hyrule Castle, arguing quietly amongst themselves as to who would break the news to their master of the Princess's escape. Then, a new Knight approached, and one by one, they turned to face him.

"I'll do it, guys." Captain Remos, Commander of the Knights, smiled easily. "It's my duty… I'll take the heat for this." Slowly, the Knights nodded; Agahnim's spell muddled their brains so much that they could not even tell he was not controlled like them. As one, they parted to let him through. Remos glanced at the magical barrier once, then shrugged and walked through it easily, grunting only slightly at the pain. "As I thought… the spell's effect on me let me go through… still hurt, though." The Captain muttered to himself as he walked up the tower. After a good ten minutes of walking, he finally emerged on the top floor. Walking forward, he emerged in the room at the very back.

"Captain Remos." Agahnim spoke calmly, facing away from him. This room was completely bare; its only feature was that the back wall was covered entirely in sheet glass, allowing the occupant to gaze out upon Death Mountain to the north. The rain had cleared up, and sunrise was just starting to spread. Remos shrugged.

"Bad news to report, sir. We had an intruder last night."

"I know of this." Agahnim did not turn. "Your former Commander, I believe… I have already taken care of him."

"Another intruder, my lord." Remos coughed. "A second one. This one, we did not spot… until it was too late."

"Meaning?" Agahnim's voice was as calm as ever, but now Remos detected a shift in his bearing… anger. The Captain smiled inwardly as he continued.

"Sir Romulos and a good twenty other Knights, Green and Purple, are dead, sir. He broke Princess Zelda out, and the two of them escaped through a secret passageway in the back. We're preparing to send search parties after them."

"I see." Now Agahnim turned around, and Remos could see his eyes. They were empty sockets, with tiny flames burning in the backs of them. "Do you know anything more about this intruder, Sir Remos?"

"Nothing." Remos shook his head. "Not a thing, sir… only that he must have been a highly skilled warrior, if he was able to defeat Romulos."

"Your brother…" Agahnim nodded. "And yet… I detect something in your eyes, something in your mind. I think you are lying to me, Sir Remos."

"And why would I do that?" Remos bowed. "We are all your loyal servants, my lord… we obey your every whim-"

"Except you, Remos." Agahnim chuckled. "Did you think I didn't know? You've been fighting my spell… the only one who held out this long. It amused me, and so I left you alive… and it seems that was a mistake. You aided this intruder… I see it in your mind. This… Link…" One of Agahnim's eyes twitched. "And now you came here, knowing I would kill you for this." Remos' face stiffened.

"Yes, wizard. I would rather die than become like the others."

"Then I shall grant your wish." Agahnim chuckled. "One thing I have always respected, if only in the slightest, is bravery… however misguided it may be. Goodbye, Sir Remos." His hands began waving in the air, and between them, a sphere of glowing energy formed. A moment later, a lightning bolt blasted out from the sphere and slammed through Sir Remos like a javelin, electricity crackling through his armor and frying him thoroughly. Remos slumped to the ground, smoke pouring from every opening in his armor, and Agahnim turned away, looking out the window again. "A Princess named Zelda… rescued at the last moment by a hero named Link. How it all comes back to you… sometimes I wish I was the sort of conqueror who believed such things as chance and coincidence really existed." He shook his head. "No… that would be a weakness. One I got out of my system a long time ago." He sent out a mental summons, and after a few moments of walking, another Knight of the Gold entered his room.

"Sir?"

"Dispose of the body properly." Agahnim instructed. "And tell the other Knights to prepare for hard work. Starting tomorrow, you will be scouring Hyrule for any trace of a certain young man. I will provide you with a description of him before you depart. Make sure everybody is ready."

"Sir!" The Knight saluted and left carrying Remos' body. Agahnim continued to stare out the window, and his eyes narrowed as if in concentration. And then… the window changed. The sky above Death Mountain disappeared, and was replaced by running water… a great amount of running water, deep underground where no light penetrated. In the darkness, something shifted.

"Master?"

"Yes." Agahnim confirmed. "I'm calling in for the report, Arrghus. Did the sixth one arrive?"

"Just like all the others." The creature named Arrghus confirmed. "She's up in the Tower, waiting for us to put her somewhere. All four of us have one… are you going to set another monster to watch her, like the King Helmasaur?" Agahnim thought for a moment.

"No… let us give her to Kholdstare instead."

"Kholdstare?" Arrghus sounded surprised. "Your majesty, he would not accept… his mind would see it as another intrusion…"

"He allows you and Vitreous to enter the Ice Palace." Agahnim reminded his servant. "Go there, and persuade Kholdstare… say that it's a gift or something, maybe even a gesture of tribute to his power. It doesn't matter, just get him to take the wench."

"I'll try." Arrghus gave in. "The crystal casing might get him to think it over, anyways… goes with the décor in the Ice Palace."

"There you go." Agahnim grinned. "I shall deal with Kholdstare when the time comes… as I did before. Until then, let him think what he wants. Speaking of Vitreous, how is he? And Mothula? Is her work progressing well on… the project?"

"Vitreous is the same… he doesn't change much, milord." There was a rippling motion, like a shrug, in the darkness. "As for Mothula, she's tried twice more. Both failed, but on the second try they all remained adhered together, at least… so it's improving."

"Good." Agahnim nodded. "I have something… someBODY… special in mind for THAT one." His eyes narrowed. "And… how is Blind doing with our little troublemakers?" Arrghus winced.

"Uh… well, they kinda blew up your statue in the Village of Outcasts again, boss."

"That's the third time this month…" Agahnim muttered. "Don't bother replacing it with the same design this time… try something more neutral, like a gargoyle. That might get them to leave it alone… for a while, at least. How did Blind take it?"

"Pretty much what you'd expect." Arrghus shrugged again. "Roared out screaming bloody murder and chased them all the way to the Palace of Darkness before they lost him. Didn't get any of them, though."

"Figures." Agahnim shook his head. "Ah well, I'll deal with THEM at the proper time as well. I'll call back again in a few days, Arrghus. Keep on top of things."

"Milord." Arrghus saluted with something that might have been a tentacle, and then the window was showing northern Hyrule again. Agahnim stood there for some time more, watching it… watching, and thinking.

_No coincidence that new ones were born in Hyrule at just the right time… Hyrule knew I would return, and prepared. But Hyrule is mistaken in thinking this can save it. I will conquer Hyrule. I will kill both of them when I am finished with them. Without that damned sword, they can't do a thing to stop me… they're just running for time. Time that will run out soon enough. This time… THIS time, I WILL triumph._ Slowly, Agahnim began to laugh… a long, slow deep laugh that sounded entirely unlike his normal tone of voice. The laugh echoed down through the tower, and was heard by none… and yet the meaning of it remained in the air like a foul stench, even after its passing.


	3. Chapter 2: Bringing Courage

_**Chapter 2: Bringing Courage **_

"Was that a rat I just heard?" Zelda muttered, tensing up. Link shrugged.

"What if it is? Rats aren't a problem."

"The rats of the Hylian sewer system grow to up to three feet in size." Zelda replied calmly. "They are omnivorous, and will attack anything they perceive to be a threat-mostly the Rope snakes that also dwell in the sewers, but generally anything larger than they are."

"Rats are a problem." Link amended his statement just as calmly. "Looks like there's a wall torch there. Light it with the lantern." Zelda obliged, and the level of light in the room improved a fraction, allowing Link to see several grey, furry shapes skittering across the floor. He started to move forward with his sword, paused, and used his boomerang instead, knocking the rodents senseless from a distance.

"Versatile." Zelda observed. "Captain Albert taught you well, I see."

"He was the best." Link sighed. "Except for Agahnim, that is. Now then, what's this about snakes?"

"The Ropes are even worse." Zelda told him clinically. "Four feet long and very vicious; they're not poisonous, so they compensate in sheer attitude. As soon as one sees you, he'll lunge."

"This is a charming little ecosystem down here." Link muttered as he led the way on down the tunnel. "All that's missing are the bats."

"Oh, the Keese? They're worst of all." The Princess smirked. "Well, not really; they can't do much more than nip at you, really. But they're the hardest to peg… at least, that's what I've heard, anyways." She added hastily. Link raised an eyebrow.

"Never been down here before in your life, I take it?"

"Never." Zelda agreed. "It's not exactly a suitable place for a princess to be… dad was big on things like that."

"I suppose so." Link nodded, calmly skewering the first Rope he saw as it approached him. "Of course, for most kids that sort of thing tends to make you want to do it even more… and EVERY kid needs someplace to hide when a flowerpot's been broken and somebody's storming around like the wrath of Din." Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And where did you go?"

"Little cave north of Kakariko village." The warrior chuckled. "Me and the rest of the kids rigged it up with all sorts of things… a second entrance through the ceiling, hidden room in the back wall, etcetera… we all used it. Now that I think about it, all our parents and such must have known it was there, but I guess they all decided to respect it as off-limits."

"Well… maybe I did come in here once or twice. Just to look around." Zelda admitted. "All right, we turn left for a bit here… need to pick something up." The something turned out to be a grubby bronze chest. Opening it, Zelda removed a key. "We'll need this to get through a locked door ahead of us."

"Complicated path, I see… I approve." Link smiled. "This should help, too." He placed the key he had used to open Zelda's cell in the chest. "We can lock the door from the other side when we go through… then, even if the soldiers find the chest and the door, they won't figure we went that way since the key's still here. Eventually, one of them will actually try the key and find out it doesn't fit, but it should still buy us some time."

"Not bad at all." Zelda grinned as they opened the door and closed it behind them. "We can swap this one out for the next door and maybe confuse them even more."

"Worth a shot." Link agreed, stepping forward, and then halting suddenly. "…What have I just stepped in?"

"Hm… looks like the sewage is leaking across the floor here." Zelda noted, aiming the lantern's light around. "You just walked right into it… just be glad it's not too deep. Ah, here we go… dry spots I can jump across." She paused. "Well, hop across anyways. Stupid dress."

"Well, lucky you." Link grumbled, climbing onto the dry spots she had mentioned and bounding across easily. Fortunately, the leaking portion was small, and they were soon past it.

"The next key should be… oh, no." Zelda groaned as they approached a locked door with an empty peg on the wall next to it. "It's gone. A rat must have taken it… they like shiny things. The good news is they don't have large individual territories, so the one who did is probably still around here."

"Speak of the devil." Link caught a glint of light reflected far away from the lantern and took off after it. Finding a rat with the key in its mouth, he quickly retrieved it and returned to the princess. "Right. Old one on the peg, new one gets us through." Glancing around one last time, he frowned. "Hey, what's with that wall over there? Looks like a cave-in…"

"Yeah, I think it is." Zelda explained. "I always wondered about what was on the other side of it… geographically, it should be under the graveyard. Somehow, though, my dad always caught me going down with a bomb I managed to sneak, and yet never any time else."

"Funny how that works, all right." Link chuckled as they walked up a set of stairs behind the door. The room they emerged in was obviously not a sewer; instead, it was a well-lit chamber with a brown wooden floor. Zelda nodded.

"Right, this is the last obstacle. Sanctuary's through that door." She pointed at a firmly shut iron barrier with no handle. "See those switches on either side of it? Pull the one on the right."

"What's the one on the left do?" Link replied, doing so.

"Drops about twenty Ropes from the ceiling on you." Zelda shuddered. "Father Brian feeds them."

"Right, no pulling THAT." Link muttered as the door opened, revealing… the back of another ornamental shelf.

"What? Who's there?" An old man's voice called, surprised.

"It's me, Father Brian… Princess Zelda." Zelda called back. "And a young man named Link." A moment later, the shelf creaked away from them, revealing the Father, a gentle old man wearing blue robes and thick glasses.

"Princess… so you escaped. Thank the Godesses you made it here safely… and thank you, too, Link. I assume you helped the Princess in her flight?"

"Yeah…" Link lowered his head. "Me and Uncle Al… except he didn't… make it."

"I'm sorry, Link." Brian looked down as well. They remained silent for a moment, then looked up again, and Brian nodded. "Right, well. The rooms kept for the royal family in case of emergencies are still in order, Princess… and since you're the only one, Link can use one of the other chambers." Link blinked.

"What? But I couldn't…"

"Yes, you will." Zelda told him firmly. "You can't go anywhere exhausted. Stay here, sleep into the morning and get some strength back before you go tearing off. I know you have a job to do, but you need some time to recuperate. All right?" Link chuckled wryly and snapped a salute.

"Yes, MA'AM."

"Stop that." She chuckled as well.

"Well, now that that's settled…" Brian rubbed his hands together. "I have some breakfast cooking… simple fare, but it'll have to do, I'm afraid. Luckily enough, I made extra today."

"That'll be great." Link nodded. "And then after we wake up, we make our plans as to how we're going to bring down Agahnim."

"All right." Link leaned back in a wooden chair. He and Zelda had awoken an hour earlier, and along with Father Brian were now in a back room of the Sanctuary. "First of all, there are some things I'll need to know, princess… specifically, everything YOU know about Agahnim, my uncle, and everything. He never told me what he was mixed up in, and I think I'm going to need to know."

"Fair enough." Zelda agreed. "Where to begin… you know of the legend, of course. The one about the Seven Sages and the Hero of Time banishing the Evil King to the Sacred Realm. In time, all of them died; however, their duties were taken up in part by their sons and daughters, and then in turn by THEIR sons and daughters. Time passed, and this tradition continued… the oldest member of each bloodline passed their duties on to the next when they died. This brings us to present day."

"Wait wait wait." Link raised a hand. "Hold it. You're telling me descendants from all the Sages are in Hyrule today. But the people who four of the Sages belonged to-the Kokiri, the Goron, the Sheikah and the Gerudo-all departed Hyrule long ago. The only ones left are the Hylians and the Zoras, and the latter are no better than mindless animals now."

"Nobody's sure how, but it seems the lines of all the Sages eventually became Hylian." Father Brian spread his hands helplessly. "Nobody except possibly the descendants themselves know, and it would be unimaginably rude to ask them."

"As my uncle once said, that's what country boys like me are for." Link chuckled. "But go on, Princess."

"Right. The methods of preparing their successor for their task varied among individuals… my father decided I should know about everything that was involved even before I succeeded him." Zelda explained. "Obviously, I am a descendant of the original Zelda, the Sage of Time… and as you now know, Link, both your uncle and you are descended from the Hero of Time. That is why I called upon your uncle for help… even when I was little, I knew him and what power he held. As I knew the other six."

"Sahasrala, Chief of Kakariko Village, is one of them." Link stated, and Zelda nodded.

"Yes. The other five, when I was born, were Aginah, Morris, Quincy, Thomas and Valenas. A few years back, however, Valenas died and was succeeded by her son… the youngest of the eight at that time. His name was Agahnim." Link's eyes widened. "Now you know how Agahnim was able to infiltrate the castle so easily… my father knew and trusted him. By the time we discovered that he had turned against us, it was too late. Agahnim controlled the castle."

"Those disappearances…" Father Brian mused. "Do we know what purpose they serve?"

"Got me." Link shrugged.

"I know about that…" Zelda's face darkened. "Somehow… he's been sending them to the Sacred Realm. The Golden Land. The Dark World."

"Ganon's domain?" Brian whispered.

"Ganon's prison." Zelda corrected. "The barrier of the Seven Sages keeps Ganon from returning to Hyrule… but Agahnim seems to think that sending all the descendants across will shatter it. For all I know, he may be right."

"So we REALLY need to keep you away from him…" Link mused. "Not just for self-interest, but because if he sends you over it's game over for Hyrule… and probably the rest of the world, too. So you should probably lay low here."

"Definitely." Father Brian agreed. "Nowhere else is safe for you, Princess… the Knights will be looking for you."

"I suppose…" Zelda sighed. "All right. But what will you be doing in the meantime, Link?"

"What else?" The hero's eyes flattened. "I'll look for a way to kill Agahnim. My uncle never stood a chance against him, so I can't beat him now… but I'll find a way. Somewhere in Hyrule, there has to be something I can use to win!"

"I don't know about that." Brian shook his head. "As the descendant of a sage, and a powerful sorcerer in his own right, Agahnim was already a force to be reckoned with… and now, his power is augmented even more by the evil he has allied himself with. I do not think there is any person in Hyrule stronger than him now… nor has their been for a long, long time. Ever since…" He fell silent, eyes widening.

"Ever since our ancestors fought with the Evil King." Zelda finished, staring at Link. "YOUR ancestor… the Hero of Time… defeated Ganon. And he did it using the only weapon in existence that could harm him… the Master Sword."

"The Master Sword…" Link murmured. The blade wielded by the Hero of Time remained, even now, the most mysterious aspect of the legend. Its forger, purpose, and the source of its power were all unknown. It had some connection to the Triforce of Power, and had been the final barrier in the original pathway to the Sacred Realm. When the original Link had pulled it from its resting place in the Temple of Time, he had then used it to great effect against the forces of darkness. Even Ganon himself could be defeated, and was, by the sacred blade. "But… where is it?"

"My father told me it was in the Lost Woods, to the northwest." Zelda shrugged. "That's all I know… but I'm guessing even if you find it, it won't be so easy to bring it back into the world again."

"I know." Link admitted. "But right now, it's the only lead we've got."

"There may be one other possibility." The priest disagreed. "Sahasrala… he may still remain uncaptured by Agahnim's forces. Somebody at Kakariko village should know where he is. If you meet with him, he may be able to help you."

"There is that." Zelda agreed. "He's held his position for many years… doubtless he knows more than I do. And he already knows you, right?"

"Oh yes." Link stood up. "It's a plan, then. You two stay here while I go check out the Master Sword and then search for Sahasrala." Zelda nodded, smiling slightly.

"Link… thank you. You've already done so much for me, and now…"

"I live in Hyrule too, princess… and I don't want it ruled by Agahnim any more than you do." Link smiled as well. "I'll be back."

"Better not go out straight through the garden…" Link muttered to himself as he closed the doors behind him. "I'll sneak around the outside." Finding a gap in the fence, he crept through and around to the road. It had been the right call; Link immediately spotted a Knight of the Purple patrolling past nonchalantly. Once he had passed, Link headed west towards the Village. The good news was that it was not a long walk; the bad news was that there were a pair of Green Knights lingering by the north gate, and there was no way to avoid them. "Man… they're out in force, all right. Good thing they're only greens… I've got no choice, then." Here, the Green Knights were carrying swords, but Link ambushed them from the side and cut them down easily. As he hid the bodies in the bushes nearby, the young warrior felt more eyes watching him, and he spun around to see… a chicken, curiously eyeing him. Unable to stop himself, he laughed, then continued south into the village. As soon as he entered, something caught his eye. "Hey, they've changed the signs…" The new boards had, in addition to their message, a fairly good drawing of his face.

_WANTED: For kidnapping Princess Zelda. Call a soldier if you see him!_

"Agahnim thinks fast, I'll give him that." Link shook his head. "Most of the people here won't buy into this… but a few of them will. I need to find out which ones…"

"Link, is that you?" A familiar voice asked, surprised. Turning, Link saw Miz Emma standing behind him, sweeping the pavement stones. "Don't worry, young man… I know that sign's not worth the wood used to make it. I still trust you and your uncle."

"Thank you." Link smiled. "But I'm guessing not everybody in the village feels the same way."

"Unfortunately…" Emma sighed. "First things first, you need to get out of sight. The soldiers are patrolling around here thicker than the coffee Burt drinks in the mornings." Her eyes darkened. "Your old hideout's no good… Sally and Jessica have let their fear control them. They've told the soldiers everything they know about you." Link closed his eyes; the two girls in question had both been friends of his growing up, and it wasn't pleasant to hear that they had given in.

"Any of the other kids?"

"We suspect Benny may be getting nervous, but we don't think he's actually gone over to them… yet." Emma sighed. "But old Burt and George… and Burt's son Mike, of course… are holding out. So is Harry the smith."

"All of those four have had family and friends go missing…" Link remembered.

"Exactly." Esma nodded. "Mike's own son, Simon, is probably just off wandering like Mike and Burt used to in their youth… something in the blood. But George's grandson, Larry… as well as Tom the smith and his daughter, Lucy… there's as yet no explanation for them going missing. "

"What about Mary?" Link inquired. "Is she the only one of the old gang still around who won't turn me in?"

"If by the old gang you mean all you scamps… I'm afraid so." Esma admitted. "But Mary's a good girl… come to think of it, she might know a place you can hide for now. Your house has already been ransacked, if I know the soldiers… oh, where's your Uncle?" Link didn't say a word; he simply hung his head and fell silent. "…Oh, no. Link… I'm so sorry."

"I'll explain it to everybody later…" Link promised. "Let's find someplace for me to stay… then tonight, have everybody you mentioned come there and I'll tell the story."

"All right…" Emma glanced down a street. "Hey, Mary! There you are! Mary, over here!"

"Eh?" Mary wandered over. "Hey, Miz Esma… and yo, Link!" She grinned. "Been a while!" A bookish girl who always wore huge glasses, Mary was nevertheless an excitable, outgoing young woman. "What are you doing out in daylight, crazy man? The soldiers'll spot you!"

"Believe me, I know." Link sighed. "I'm only here to try and find out some place to shack tonight where they won't conduct an impromptu search."

"Well, the hideout's no good, since Sal and Jess gave in…" Mary thought for a moment. "How about the old thieves' den?"

"Oh, the one the Black Eye gang used to meet in?" Emma sniffed. "Those rogues… it was a blessing for Hyrule when they all disappeared ten years ago."

"I hadn't thought of that." Link admitted. "I barely remember those guys…"

"They were a terror." Mary recalled. "Their leader was this guy named Blind… they called him that because he hated bright light. Back on the subject, the old den's been unoccupied since they left. I head down there whenever I want to read without anybody bothering me."

"Then that sounds like the perfect place." Link decided. "Get everybody who we can trust there tonight at ten… I've got one heck of a story for all of you." Mary nodded.

"Got it. What are you doing until then?"

"I've got something to find in the Lost Woods." Link frowned. "About that… do either of you know anything about the Master Sword?"

"Master Sword?" Mary frowned. "Just the usual legends…"

"Yes…" Emma's eyes grew distant. "A treasure from long ago, when Hyrule was even more prosperous than now, before the Evil King arose… the blade whose only purpose was to thwart evil." She blinked. "Link… is that what you're looking for in the forest?"

"You got it." Link nodded. "Obviously, I won't be able to pull it out… but I think it would be a good idea to at least see it."

"This must be one doozy of a story…" Mary shook her head. "Well, good luck to you. We'll see you tonight."

"Right." Link left the way he came, through the north gate, and immediately walked into the thick forest in front of him.

Some landmarks in Hyrule, such as Death Mountain and Lake Hylia, always remained constant… but others, such as the Lost Woods, shifted. Legend claimed that the original Lost Woods had been in the far east, between Lake Hylia and Zora's Domain, but that area was now a barren wasteland. A new forest had sprung up in the northwest, though, and that forest had adopted the name. As he entered the forest, Link frowned; there was a strange haze everywhere he looked. "Where'd this come from? Fog…? No, this can't be natural… it cuts off perfectly at the boundary between the forest and the village…"

"Hey, Link!" Two figures walking through the fog yelled as they approached. Link grabbed his sword, then relaxed as he saw who they were. It was only the Bumpkin Brothers, a pair of lumberjacks who lived near the woods.

"Hey, guys. Been a while." Link greeted them. "What's up with this haze?"

"No idea." One of the brothers shook his head. "Came in just last night… we have to be careful where we're going. Hope it clears up soon. Whatcha doing, anyways?" Link thought a moment, then decided to go for broke.

"I'm looking for the Master Sword… heard it's around here."

"The Master Sword?" The second brother whistled. "Whooee! Not many people know about THAT… well, if you already know it's here, there's no harm in you taking a look, I suppose. Go straight north of here, and look for a log tunnel. The grove of the Master Sword is on the other side."

"Just don't go in any other log tunnel you find." The first brother cautioned. "The one in the east leads into the hideout of the Bronze Hand thieves… they're not really that bad of guys, but you'll still lose your wallet if you just walk right in."

"Those punks are still hanging around? Sheesh…" Link sighed. "Well, thanks guys. See ya." Walking north, he soon began looking for the log tunnel… without much success. "Stupid haze… I can barely see two feet in front of me… huh?" He had almost tripped over something. It appeared to be a sword, embedded in a tile set in the forest loam. "The… Master Sword?" Grabbing the hilt, he easily pulled it out. "No, this can't be it…"

"All right, kid. Don't try anything." A voice behind him told him wearily. "That thing's wood, and it's as blunt as I am. I, on the other hand, have a very sharp metal knife, and I'm not a greedy man. I could be talked into settling for only a few Rupees."

"That a fact…" Link spun and hurled the useless fake sword at the man standing behind him, and when the thief grunted and deflected it from his head, Link drew his sword. "THIS sword, now… this sword is like your knife. Metal, and very sharp. And yes, I do know how do use it."

"…Ah." The thief nodded. "Then in that case, I don't think any payment is necessary after all." He grinned sheepishly. "Man… the brotherhood just hasn't been the same since Bronze Roger left."

"He was the boss?" Link guessed.

"Yeah…" The thief sighed. "And then one day he just decided he wanted to retire, and that was it. Ever since… it's been different, you know? Oh well, it's a living…" He glanced around. "Hey, check that out!" Link followed his gaze. On the ground, a squat, bulbous mushroom with a red cap was quietly twitching. "It's one of those magic mushrooms!" Link frowned.

"What, the ones that make you see dancing pink Dodongos?" The thief chuckled.

"Ha! No, no… I mean REAL magic. Some witch who lives over in the east comes here every couple of months to collect them."

"Huh…" Link shrugged and plucked the mushroom. "Well, what the heck. Maybe I'll find somebody who can use it."

"That's the ticket!" The thief grinned. "Well, I'm off. If I can't make any scores today, I might as well catch some dinner. See yas!" Within moments, he vanished into the trees. Slipping the mushroom into a pocket, Link continued on. Eventually, the young warrior finally found what he was looking for.

"Right, here's that log tunnel…" Walking through the hollowed-out wooden shaft, he emerged in a grove surrounded by trees even more tightly packed than the rest of the Lost Woods. They were practically walls; even small animals would find it nearly impossible to get through, and yet, as he walked forward squirrels and birds cleared out of his way. And then… he saw the pedestal, and the altar. It looked as if it had been taken directly from some cathedral or temple; a few stairs led up to a platform of marble, upon which the altar was perfectly centered. The front of it held three empty sockets; what they were supposed to hold, Link could not guess. Below them was a plaque, but the writing on it was bizarre… strange, unreadable symbols danced and curled across it. Shaking his head, Link looked instead to behind the altar, to the pedestal… and there it was. As a blade itself, its shape was nothing special; not particularly long nor broad. The hilt was painted blue, and bound with black leather. And yet… the leather had not rotted in all the time the sword had been here, and the crosspieces of the hilt were shaped like wings. The blade shone like silver, though it was obviously forged from far sturdier metals. And on the side of the blade, right where it met the hilt, was a mark… three golden triangles forming a pyramid, with an empty triangle at the center.

"The symbol of the Triforce…" Link realized. "This is it, then… the Master Sword. This… shall be Agahnim's doom." And then, again, as when he had met Zelda, he saw an image in his mind. Walking up to the altar, in a huge, empty temple… the sockets were there, but the plaque was different. But he did not read it, he had no time… instead, he placed… things… in the sockets. Three jewels… one green, one red, one blue… each the size of his fist, each beautiful beyond imagination… and then he played some musical instrument, and a door behind the altar opened. Walking past it, and through the door, he saw the sword… the Master Sword, embedded in the pedestal. Somebody was talking, but he could not hear the words… he only saw the sword, as he walked forward, and pulled it from the stone with a single motion. And then, everything was a blinding white light… and then Link saw a man's face. Dark-skinned, red-haired, smirking in triumph. Pride, greed, and wrath were etched on every line of the man's face, as he laughed… and then Link was back in the forest, staring at the sword, still embedded in the pedestal.

"Huh… what was up with that?" Link wondered. "This place is weird…" Shaking his head, he looked at the Master Sword again. Once, it had been the bane of evil… in his ancestor's hands, it had struck down Ganon. Now, though… now, it was motionless, silent… sleeping, even. No fallen leaves touched the pedestal and altar, there were no signs of animals… it was as if, for the Master Sword, time did not actually pass. It slept for now… but it was waiting. Waiting for the day in which it was needed again. "That need is now… and I'm not getting any closer to that by standing here." Link turned away and started to walk, then stopped and glanced back at the sword. "I can't take you yet… I don't know how. But one of these days… very soon… I will return. And you shall save Hyrule again."

"Hey, Link!" Mary called into the thieves' den. "Don't get excited, it's just us!"

"I'm down here!" Link hollered back from the lower level, where he was polishing his sword. A moment later, Mary and Emma came down the stairs, followed by two men. One of them was middle-aged and stout with a bristly black mustache, the other short and powerful, noticeable by his snowy white beard and arms like oak limbs. "Mary.. Miz Esma… Mike… Harry. Good to see you all… hey, where are your dad and George, Mike?"

"Those two? At this time of the night?" Mike chuckled. "Sleeping it off. They staggered back about an hour ago… got caught in the hedges again. I really should cut my lawn…" He shrugged. "Ah well. Good to see you're still doing all right."

"Miz Esma told us you had quite a story for us." Harry, one of the town's two blacksmiths, rumbled. "And that we'd find out about what's been happening in Hyrule recently… and why people have been disappearing."

"Yeah… I've got a story." Link set his blade aside. "I'm going to trust all of you, and tell you everything… I won't leave a single thing out. This means that some of this… a lot of it, really… may seem a bit far-fetched. Difficult to believe. But it's true, all the same." From there, he launched into his tale, beginning on the night before and going from there to the message he had received, the infiltration of Hyrule Castle, rescue of the Princess… and all the revelations about his heritage, the Sages and Agahnim. When he was done, all four were staring at him, wide-eyed.

"Link, if you WEREN'T making that up, you'd have one hell of an imagination." Mary admitted. "And it all fits… it all makes sense with what's been going on. Damn."  
"What were the names of the current descendants of the Sages?" Harry's eyes were narrowed. Link thought back.

"Well, there's Sahasrala of course… Aginah… Morris… Thomas-" He broke off. "Hey, wait a second! Didn't your partner, Tom, and his daughter both vanish a couple weeks back?"

"You got it." Harry grunted. "A bit much to just be a coincidence, hm?"

"That was when Sahasrala and his daughter left town, too…" Emma recalled. "Now that we know Agahnim is only after the current titleholders and their daughters, it makes sense why Sahasrala left his grandson here…"

"What, Otto?" Link blinked. "He's eight now, right?"

"Correct… and he's likely the only one who knows where his grandfather is hiding out. Sahasrala asked me to take care of him…" Emma sighed. "Unfortunately, he's been depressed ever since his family left… with that and the cold he caught from the bad weather coming in off of Death Mountain, he refuses to see anybody but me, and he doesn't talk much even then."

"Well, we'll have to cheer him up, then." Mary decided. "Otto likes bugs… he's an insect nut. And I recall reading about a super-rare bee in a book once… the Gold Bee or God Bee or something…"

"Oh, you mean the Good Bee?" Mike inquired, surprising them all. "I know about THAT… supposedly the first bee ever made by the Goddesses. Blessed by their touch with incredible power and intelligence-well, for a bee, anyways. It lives in the Ice Cavern, near Lake Hylia."

"I forgot about your family trait…" Link chuckled. Mike, his father Burt, and all the patriarchal ancestors before had been possessed of an uncontrollable wanderlust when they were young, journeying off across Hyrule. It was assumed that Mike's own son, Simon, was currently continuing this tradition; his disappearance was the only one that hadn't caused worry. "Do you remember exactly how to get there?"

"Yup." Mike nodded. "Head south of the Castle, into the swamplands, down to the southern border, then turn east and head along Lake Hylia's shoreline. When you get to the southeast corner, turn north and you'll find the Cave."

"I'll go and get Otto's bug-catching net for you, Link." Emma promised.

"Thanks, guys." Link smiled. "All right then, I'll head there tomorrow."

"One more thing." Harry took a pack off his back and handed it to Link. "We all took our rainy day savings, and chipped in… bought you some gear from that traveling merchant who's been camping out in the town square." Inside were a pair of glass bottles; one was empty, the other filled with a red liquid medicine. There was also a hip pouch containing several spherical bombs, and a wallet with a couple hundred Rupees. Link blinked.

"Guys… I can't-"

"Yes, you can and you will." Harry grunted. "Take it. You're going to save Hyrule… this is the least we can do to help." The others nodded in agreement. "Now get some sleep. We'll get lost now so you can bunk down… but if you never need anything else, just come see us, you hear?"

"…Yeah." Link smiled. "Thanks, guys." They all shook his hand, and then they departed, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

"Come HERE, you-got ya!" Lunging at the Green Knight, Link caught him before he could vanish into the thick undergrowth of the wetlands again and disposed of him in one well-aimed slice. Another one destroyed the crossbow the Knight had been using. "Friggin' archers…" Down here, where there were plenty of places to hide and snipe, the Knights were equipped with crossbows and arrows. More than once, Link had come close to having his forehead decorated with feathers. "Sigh… all right, this looks like where I should turn east…" Looking in that direction, Link saw that the marsh gave way to normal dry ground. "Good." Heading there confirmed that he was indeed now south of Lake Hylia. There were no Knights here, but the Lake held its own threats. Zoras, hostile fish-men, would surface to glare at him before spewing a fireball and diving again, only to return once more a few moments later. And unlike the Knights, there was no way for Link to strike back; his sword could not reach them, and if he used his boomerang there was a fair chance he would lose it. Dodging the fireballs, Link grumpily continued around the Lake; first east, then north, until he came upon a solid cliff wall that extended to the west and turned to meet the lake. "So that's why I couldn't just come along the north side…" Shrugging, Link began searching the cliff, and soon discovered what he was looking for; a cavern mouth from which he felt an immense cold.

"Wish I'd brought a coat…" The young warrior muttered to himself as he walked inside, and it immediately grew four times as cold. "Geez… they didn't call this place the Ice Cave for nothing." Looking around, he saw a statue; it appeared to be some type of angel, with wings across its back and a serene expression. In one hand it held a rod of some sort; in the other, a bee. Most impressive of all was the statue's material; it looked as if it was carved entirely from ice, or possibly crystal. As Link gazed upon it, the bee in the statue's hand stirred, and then took flight, trailing icy blue sparkles. For a moment, Link thought it would sting him, but it simply circled his head, several times. Somehow, he got the feeling the bee was thinking about him. After a few seconds of this, the bee flew over to the rod in the statue's hand and sat on it.

"Huh…?" Link frowned. "Are you saying… I should do something with this?" The bee's wings twitched. "Well, okay…" Link reached up and grasped the rod. To his surprise, with a click it detached from the statue and came loose. "Whoa… cool." He examined it more closely. It was a simple, blue-and-white metal shaft, about a foot long. On one end, above some snowflake decorations, was a single, angular crystal of deep blue. "Huh… should I keep this?" The bee took off and buzzed around his head again. "Hm… well, okay. You sure are being helpful, aren't you…" He started to reach for his net, then paused. "I wonder…" Instead, he drew out his empty bottle and removed the cork lid. The Good Bee calmly flew down and settled inside the bottle, and Link replaced the lid. "Well, whatever works is cool. Let's get back to Kakariko Village, shall we?" The bee's wings twitched again as Link slipped the rod into his pack and set off.

"Did you get the Good Bee?" Emma asked as she answered the door of Sahasrala's house. Link nodded and showed her the bottle. "My, that's a pretty glow. Let's take it to him!" They walked up the stairs to a closed door. "Otto? You have a visitor!" After a moment, there was a sullen answer.

"Don't want one."

"He's got a present for you!" Emma persisted.

"Don't want that either." Otto said flatly. Link smiled.

"Not even a… sorry, THE… Good Bee?" There was a moment of shocked silence, and then the door was slammed open by a small boy with a mop of purple hair.

"You've gotta be kidding… let me see that!"  
"Be my guest." Link opened the bottle, and Otto's eyes widened in awe as the Bee flew out.

"That blue glow… it IS the Good Bee!"

"It's yours, but don't go trying to pin it in a page or anything." Link cautioned. "It would NOT like that. Just take care of it, observe it for a while, and when you're done, Mister Mike next door can tell you where to return it to."

"All right!" Otto grinned. "Thanks… it's Link, isn't it?" His eyes grew cunning. "So… what do you want in return?"

"Sharp." Link smiled. "All right, I'll cut to the chase. I kind of need to see your grandfather… do you know where he is?" Otto's smile vanished.

"Why would I? The old man and my mom ran off and left me here."

"But he would have made sure somebody knew where he was." Link reasoned. "You're the only one who can help me here."

"Well…" Otto thought about it. "The whole point of hiding is so nobody can find you… but to be specific, he was hiding from the soldiers, and those jerks are looking for you too, I hear… so maybe you have a reason?"

"Yeah." Link nodded. "I need to ask him how to get the Master Sword… so I can kill Agahnim." Otto stared at him.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place? You have a map?"

"Right here." Link took it out. Grabbing a pen, Otto marked a large X on a spot in the barren lands east of Link's house.

"Right here… north of Lake Hylia. I've put the X on the exact spot… supposedly, there's a lot of old ruins in that area. He'll be in there somewhere."

"Got it." Link nodded. "Thanks, Otto… now I'm one step closer." Saying goodbye to Emma as well, Link spent the night in the thieves' hideout, then headed east, dropping by his house on the way. As he had expected, there were several Knights in the vicinity, whom Link removed on general principle before heading on, crossing the Hylian River into the barrens. "Now then… how do I get to these ruins…" Looking around, he saw something to the north; a hut that appeared to be built out of a dead tree trunk, still standing. "Aha… somebody might live there." This turned out to be true; an old woman wearing black was sitting outside, briskly stirring a cauldron.

"Greetings, young man… come for some of my medicines, have you?" She sniffed the air. "Wait… that aroma… do you have a Magic Mushroom?"

"Yeah…" Link took it out. "Would you happen to be the one the Bronze Hand thieves said comes to the Lost Woods looking for these?"

"That I would, that I would." She grinned at him. "These babies can be used to make some powerful transforming powder. Just sprinkle it on something… or someBODY… that's bothering you, and poof!"

"Poof what?" Link raised an eyebrow.

"You can see for yourself, if you like." She offered. "I'll mix that thing up for you, no charge. All I ask is that you take a look at my other wares."

"All right." Link handed her the mushroom and opened the hut's door. A much younger woman in a hooded robe was sitting next to a shelf full of cauldrons in different colors… red, green and blue.

"Aah… a customer?"

"Just browsing right now." Link admitted. "Might come back later, though…" He examined the red pot and brought out the bottle of medicine given to him by the Villagers. "Hey, I think this is the same stuff…"

"It seems to be… a gift from a friend?" The witch's assistant guessed. "Red medicine restores health and energy… you may try a sample, if you like." Dipping out a spoonful, she offered it to him. Link eyed it, then shrugged.

"What the heck." It actually didn't taste bad at all, contrary to his expectations; somewhat fruity, though he couldn't place it exactly. As he downed it, the slight weariness he had felt from his hike faded away. "Huh… that's pretty good stuff… eh?" He glanced down at his hand, where he had taken a hit from one of the native Octorocks; land-crawling mollusks who spewed stones at high velocity. The wound was actually closing before his eyes, and in moments it was gone. "Wow… this IS good stuff. What do the others do?"

"The green potion restores magic." The assistant explained. Link shook his head.

"Not much use for me, then… I don't have any."

"Everybody has it… it's just that most don't know it, and have no way to access it." The assistant chuckled. "Even if you know no spells… in time, you may find artifacts you can use to channel your power, and perhaps you will be interested in the green potion then."

"Perhaps." Link shrugged. "And the blue?"

"The blue restores both health and magic… but since you do not use magic now, the red would be cheaper. When you want to buy some, anyways." The assistant looked outside. "I do believe Syrup has finished your magic powder. Come back some time, hm?"

"Sounds like a good idea." Link nodded. Walking outside, he saw that the witch was indeed holding a brown pouch.

"Here you are… just a pinch will do."

"Right." Link pocketed it. "By the way… could you tell me how to access the old ruins around here?"

"Ah… go south until you reach the Lake, then east, and then north to the ruins." Syrup explained.

"Thanks… good luck to both of you." Link followed her instructions to the letter, and at the end of them, found himself staring up at a series of natural shelves protruding from the high cliffs of the area. They were practically a maze, and they were spotted with crumbling arches, stairways and statues. These last, most of all, caught Link's attention; there were several types, but the most common were vaguely humanoid. They had no arms or legs, but a shield and sword were attached to each nonetheless, and their heads were horned helmets. Link tapped one with his sword, and with a rumble, the stone statue sprang to life. "YAH!" He swung at it as it hopped towards it, and after several powerful blows, managed to slice the statue in half. "Yeesh… some kind of guardians? Gotta be careful…" Taking out his map, he walked to the area of the ruins where Otto had drawn the X, noting as he went that the statues sprang to life whenever he got too close. Fortunately, there were no soldiers. On the X, the young warrior found a small, ancient building; it was amazing that it had survived this long.

"What!" An old man whirled around as Link entered. He was completely bald, but his lean face was hidden by a long white beard. He wore robes of a sunny yellow, with a strange insignia on them that attempted to depict rays of sunlight. Inside Link's head, another memory was triggered… of another old man, one he had never seen. This man was much stouter, and wore brown robes with the emblem of the Triforce on them. He was bald as well mostly, but his white hair was bound in a ponytail in the back; he had no beard, covering his face with a thick handlebar mustache instead. And then the memory was gone, leaving Link wondering about what was happening, and Sahasrala's eyes widening with recognition. "Here now… you're… you're Albert's nephew, Link, aren't you?" Link composed himself.

"That's correct. And you… are Sahasrala. Chief of Kakariko Village… descendant of the Sage of Light."


	4. Chapter 3: The Lessons Of History

**_Chapter 3: The Lessons Of History_**

"How did you know-" Sahasrala started to yell, then broke off, eyes narrowing. "Hm… so, your uncle finally decided to be honest with you and tell you everything."

"Something like that." Link grunted noncommittally. "What do you know, huh? I grow up thinking you're just the goofy old chief of Kakariko Village, and now it turns out you were the descendant of the Sage of Light all along. What was his name… Rauru, wasn't it?"

"It was." Sahasrala nodded. "I, on the other hand, knew who and what one particular young rascal was the entire time he was going around with his friends pestering blacksmiths, hiding in caves and the like… oh, and stealing chickens of course." Link winced.

"Oh, Goddesses… I had almost forgotten about the Great Cucco Disaster." He shook his head. "Enough reminiscing. I know all about you now… and I've come here for your help."

"So I see." Sahasrala murmured. "Help with what, exactly? Details, young man… specifics. Generalities make my old bones ache."

"The Master Sword." Link said levelly. "I know who and what Agahnim is, too… the Master Sword is the only way to kill him now. Tell me how to draw it."

"Oho…" Brief surprise flickered in Sahasrala's eyes again. "And tell me… what does your uncle think of this plan? And come to think of it, why is he not here?" Link gritted his teeth.

"He's dead. Agahnim got him." He was partially surprised to see the sorrow in the old man's eyes.

"Another old comrade, lost to the traitor…" He sighed. "You look surprised… did you figure that Albert and I might not have gotten along very well? That was true… but he was a comrade, nonetheless. I'm sorry."

"So am I." Link agreed. "At least his death wasn't in vain… I got the Princess out of the castle. She's in hiding now… Agahnim can't get her."

"Then… there is hope after all." Sahasrala realized. "I had almost given up when Quincy was slain…" He thought for a moment. "Link… the source of Albert's contention with me, and with the others, stemmed from a custom… the descendants of the Hero of Time were not always told everything that the other descendants knew. They were warlike people… quick in judgment, not always so much in thought. This is not meant to insult your uncle… but it must be conceded that he was not a scholarly man. This custom was also applied to the Kings, since their minds were so occupied with ruling the kingdom…"

"Skip to the end." Link growled. Sahasrala chuckled.

"Case in point. One of the things your uncle did not know was how to draw the Master Sword… and there was a time when he desperately wished to." The old man closed his eyes. "When your parents were thrown into the Sacred Realm by one of Ganon's minions, a Hinox, your uncle intended to draw the Master Sword, follow them there and rescue them. He demanded to know how to take the sword up. We refused to tell him, viewing his plan as suicidal. I think it was then that his distaste for us truly took hold. We did not tell HIM how to draw the Sword… so would it be proper to tell you, now?"

"Yes, it would because the sword is our only hope!" Link snarled. "Can you beat Agahnim? I don't think so, otherwise you would have already! Same goes for all the others! I'm the only chance left, and I'm only that if I have that sword!"

"And THAT brings up another question." Sahasrala mused. "Your uncle is dead… and so, his position passes to you, the eldest member of your family line… and the last. When a new member takes up this job, a certain test is customary… an examination, to make sure he or she is fit for the role." He held up a hand before Link could yell. "AND, fortunately enough, I believe I know a way to ascertain both these facts… whether you are fit for your position, and for drawing the sword… as well as furthering your wishes to do so. All at the same time." Link started to reply, then stopped, glaring.

"…I get it." He replied after a few moments. "This is some kind of test, is it?"

"Exactly." The old man nodded. "You have been to see the Master Sword?" Link nodded. "And you saw the three depressions in the altar?" Another nod. "Good. All I shall tell you now is that three artifacts are required to be placed there to draw the sword. The first of these is near here… search these ruins, and you will find a huge temple. We call it the Eastern Palace these days."

"One of the artifacts is in there?" Link guessed.

"Exactly." Sahasrala nodded. "The Hero of Time and the Knights of Hyrule redesigned the palace in order to protect the artifact… the Pendant of Courage. Go to the temple, and retrieve it. I will remain here, but I shall accompany you telepathically and observe your progress… then, if you return here with the Pendant, I shall tell you all I know and give you all the aid I can in your quest."

"You'd better." Link shook his head. "Protection, huh… you mean like those statues outside?"

"Oh, the Armos? They are part of it, yes." Sahasrala chuckled. "But they are nothing compared to what is inside the Palace proper."

"I'll bet." Link turned away. "All right then… I'll play your game, since I apparently need this Pendant of Courage to get the Sword anyways. But when I get back, you'd better be feeling a lot more helpful." Sahasrala nodded.

"IF you get back, I'm sure I will."

"Damn… a Knight of the purple." Link muttered as he glanced up at the Eastern Palace from the terrace below. "Only one… but if he doesn't return, Agahnim'll get suspicious." He glanced up at the palace. It was a huge, square artifact from ages long past; a covered entryway was flanked on both sides by pairs of huge goblin statues with grasping claws. Link shuddered. "Hope THOSE don't come to life, like the Armos…" He blinked, and then once again, he remembered something he had never seen before. It was the Eastern Palace, but now, it was surrounded by a thick forest, as thick as the Lost Woods. The entryway was now high above him, with no way up but a medium-sized tree growing in front. And below the tree, calmly playing some sort of musical instrument, was a young of about ten. Her hair was green, as were her clothes. A name came to Link's mind. "…Saria?" And then the memory was gone, like the ones that had visited him before. "…What the heck? This is starting to worry me… once or twice is nothing, but four times now…" He shook his head. "Maybe Sahasrala will know something about it. Right now, I need to get in…" Looking again, he saw a pair of silent Armos statues flanking the entryway. "Hey, I wonder…" Waiting until the Knight was facing away, he threw his boomerang and hit the Armos on the head, then ducked down. Springing to life, the guardian statue angrily hopped towards the only intruder it could see.

"Hey, what the-?" The Knight yelled, whirling around and engaging the Armos. Smiling faintly, Link slipped past both of them unnoticed and into the Palace. The inside of the palace was plain grey stone; here, there were no decorations. Remembering the image of the palace in the forest, Link wondered if there had been originally, before the Knights of Hyrule had remodeled it for its current purpose. Crossing a bridge over a pit filled with spikes, Link quickly located the floor tile that opened the sealed door on the other end. "Hm… if that's the quality of the tests here, this won't be too bad…" He groaned as he saw the next room. "OR, I could be grossly underestimating my ancestor." He was standing on a ledge above a long, straight hall. On either end were dark openings; from the one on the far side, black iron spheres the size of a man were expelled, rolling down the hall into the opening on Link's end. Glancing at a series of alcoves along the sides of the hall, Link frowned. "It's a matter of timing… I need to move from one of those to another between spheres. Just one slip-up, though, and it's flattening time." He shrugged. "Ah well, nothing ventured…" Though there were one or two close scrapes, in the end, Link managed to make it to the other side without going for the pancake look.

"_Good, Link…"_ A familiar voice rang in his head. "_You've passed the first real test."_ Link jumped.

"Sahasrala!"

"_I told you that I was accompanying you telepathically, didn't I?"_ Sahasrala chuckled. "_That was a clever trick with the Armos and the Knight, by the way… but don't get cocky. Far more dangerous hazards than that await you…"_

"Yeah, I'll bet." Link muttered, emerging in the next room. "Hey, now… this looks like some kind of central room." Again, he was standing on an overlooking balcony, but here, thick railing prevented him from going below. He could still see through it, though; in front and below him was a massive, wide room with many doors leading to and from it. In the center, on a podium, a ornamental treasure chest gleamed. "Wonder what's in there-eh?" His eyes narrowed. The main room was not unoccupied; human skeletons, four of them, were wandering around silently. "Like the King… what is this…"

"_Ah, Stalfos." _Sahasrala's voice was clinical, scientific. "_Don't worry, your ancestor was not the kind of man who would set deceased Hylians as guardians. Stalfos are a wild monster… they have always held a liking for this palace. Feel no guilt about destroying them when they attack you."_

"Right…" Link nodded. "But I can't get down there now. Have to find a way around…" There were two doors on the left and right sides of the balcony. Shrugging, Link took the left one. The room was much smaller, and many human bones were scattered across it. "Yuck." The door leading north was closed. "Look for another hidden switch, or-Yow!" Link drew his sword as the bones on the floor rattled, then rose in three places. Grinning horribly, the Stalfos advanced. "Hey, I thought you said…"

"_I said your ancestor would not set Hylian skeletons as guardians… and I then explained what Stalfos were. Pay attention."_ Sahasrala's voice was smug. "_He knew some Stalfos would return here… and with the Sage of Forest's aid, set a spell on this room to trap the ones who entered."_

"Lovely." Link swung his sword at one and growled as it agilely jumped back, avoiding the blow. "Pretty fast for bony guys…" He tried the boomerang instead, and grinned as it knocked the skull off of one of them. To his surprise, it continued forward, but several more hits from the throwing weapon reduced it to an immobile pile of bones. The same did the other two in, and Link continued on to a set of stairs which led to the lower level, and to the right. "Good… this should lead to the main room…" As he walked towards it, the warrior spotted a tunnel to his right. "Have to remember to check that out too…" Emerging into the main room, Link quickly dispatched the lurking Stalfos, then examined the massive chest. To his dismay, it was locked. "Damn… maybe the Pendant's in here…"

"_It is not."_ Sahasrala denied. "_But a different treasure is… one of the weapons used by your ancestor. He received it in this palace, and in the end, he returned the treasure to it. Take it, and you will be able to defeat foes too well-armored for your sword… such as those Rocklops over there."_ Looking around, Link saw a pair of green statues flanking a large door that went north. They were of a different design than the Armos; thicker and lumpier, with no ornamentation and a single, currently closed eye.

"More statue guardians?"

"_Ones that you will be unable to slay with your sword."_ Sahasrala confirmed. "_You must gain the weapon in the chest to defeat them."_

"Right…" Link looked across the room to a door opposite the one he had entered by. "That leads to the right wing… better explore that first, then check out that side tunnel if I can't find the key." It took him to a room below a room; the floor of the upper level was thinly stretched over the lower level. Link saw more Stalfos roaming up there, but could not reach them; the stairs in this room only led to a door going south. The next room was completely darkened; there were no torches illuminating it like the ones before. The only light was one Link would have preferred to do without. It was a human skull on batlike wings, covered entirely in red flames. "What… the hell?"

"_Another monster… a Red Bubble."_ Sahasrala explained. Link slashed at the thing, but the flames turned his blade aside. "_Don't bother… the fires cannot be pierced by steel."_

"Is that so…" Link backed away from the monster, feeling the wall behind him as he edged around the room. The Bubble advanced slowly, grinning horribly, and Link sighed in relief as he felt another door behind him. Slipping through it, he hoped the Bubble would not follow him. It didn't. "Yeesh… would this treasure in the chest work on them, too?"

"_I'm afraid not." _Sahasrala chuckled. "_Bubbles are tricky… you will have to beat them on their turf. But you don't know any magic yet, do you?"_

"Not… exactly." Link remembered the witch, Hazel. "But… I might have an idea if I meet any more. For now, though…" He was above the hall of the iron spheres, at one end of a thin bridge that spanned it. Crossing to the other end, he emerged in a room almost as large as the central one. Four more Red Bubbles were in there, but unlike the first, they were not actively roaming; instead, they circled a small chest. Link winced. "No chance of opening that…" Looking around, he saw several Stalfos roaming. "Let me guess. Another binding room to trap monsters?"

"_Correct." _Sahasrala confirmed. "_Can you guess how it is designed?"_ Link thought for a moment.

"Beat all the Stalfos… and the Bubbles are released. Then I just have to grab whatever's in the chest and get out before THEY mob me." He smiled. "But I might have an alternative idea." Reaching into his pack, he brought out his pouch of Magic Powder and approached the Bubbles. "Just one sprinkle, and poof, huh…" Dipping his fingers into the pouch, he brought out a pinch of glittery, glowing dust. Selecting a Bubble, Link blew the dust onto it, and the fires around it died. "Yes! It worked!" Grinning, he slew the skull, then dealt with the other three in the same way. "Heh… this doesn't get me disqualified or anything, does it?"

"_Ha! No, no… a hero needs guile on occasion as well." _Sahasrala chortled. Smiling, Link opened the chest and drew out the key inside.

"Good… now I've got this." Going north, he dropped down to the lower level again and emerged out of the tunnel in the left wing. "So I could have just gone that way first. Oof."  
"_What's important is that you got the key."_ Sahasrala seemed to shrug. "_You're not on a time limit, you know."_

"I suppose…" Link frowned. "And with that in mind… there's still one area I haven't explored. The upper level of the right wing. I get the feeling I should check it out before I head into the back."

"_It's your call."_ The old man replied. "_I'm just an advisor. An observer. I'm along for the show."_ Ignoring that, Link backtracked and went into the right wing's upper level, killing the Stalfos he had seen there. Once the room was cleared, he saw a single treasure chest there and opened it. "Hey… a map of the place!" Spreading it out, he looked it over. "Right… to the north of the main room, it's stairs leading to the second floor… which is just a series of plain rooms leading to the last one. I'm almost done!"

"_Don't-"_ Sahasrala started to caution.

"Yeah, I know. Don't get cocky." Link cut him off, smirking. "Still more tests. I got it." Returning to the central chamber, he inserted the key into the large chest. "Now, let's see what's in here…" It was a wooden shortbow, in remarkable condition considering how aged it must have been. Alongside it was a quiver full of arrows. "Huh…" Link picked it up. At one point during his training with his uncle, he had learned how to use such a bow by borrowing one off some Knights at the castle. He had never been adept with it, however; no matter how hard he tried, the bow never seemed to fit right in his hands. This one, though… instantly, Link knew this bow would not suffer from the same problem. Picking it up, he sighted at the Rocklops to the north. "Open those peepers, boys…" A strike from his boomerang caused one to slowly open its eye and gaze laconically at him before charging forward. Link stood his ground, pulling an arrow and then firing it effortlessly. The wooden shaft slammed into the exposed optic, and the Rocklops fell back, dead. The second one fell in the same manner. "Right, to the second floor it is."

The first room was brutally simple; three Rocklops, side-by-side, all awakened as Link stepped up. One by one, he nailed them and went on. The next was just the opposite; as he entered, his gaze swiveled around to all of the cavern-like holes, and he groaned. "Aw, NO…" And then they activated, and the iron orbs began rolling across in all four directions. "Okay… this looks worse than it actually is. They don't ALL fire… half of them have to be receivers. And they have to be set up so that they don't hit each other… so there should be plenty of nearly safe spots." Dodging and weaving, the warrior made it across. The third room held only one feature; a Rocklops in front of the next door. A red one. "The others were green…" Link frowned and activated it, then fired. The arrow stuck in the eye, and the statue kept coming. A second one, however, stopped it in its tracks. "Phew… had me worrying for a bit." Link started to walk forward, then paused. Hanging above the door was a human skull wearing a horned helmet. "That's ominous… I wonder…" Pulling out the palace map, he examined it. "As I thought… that's the last room, in there."

"_And the final test."_ Sahasrala added. "_The last line of defense for the Pendant of Courage. Are you ready to face it?"_

"Does a Potatohead talk gibberish?" Link replied, drawing his sword and walking forward. As he entered, the room slammed behind him. In front of him, standing in a circle, were six statues. They resembled the Armos, but were much, much larger and more detailed; eight feet tall, eight feet wide, wearing armor resembling that of the Knights of Hyrule. In their left hands, shields bearing the emblem of the Triforce. In their right hands, swords pointing upwards in an eternal salute. And on their heads, horned helmets with visible eyeholes… eyeholes that glowed red as the statues began rumbling.

"Armos… Knights?" Link stared. The statues did not reply. Instead, they began hopping, frozen and motionless, up and down… and then they began to move forward, around and around in the circle. The thuds as they slammed into the ground simultaneously shook the room. Link frowned. "So… I have to kill these things to get the Pendant? Seems simple enough… eh?" The Armos Knights were changing their movement pattern; breaking the circle, they went to the back of the room and formed into a line… then, as one, they charged. "Oh… oh, NO!" Link's eyes widened, and he rushed forward, charging one and slamming at it viciously with his sword. There was no finesse, no skill in his swings now; just desperation to force one of the brutes back while the others passed. If he could not… then the heavy statue would crush him into a smear on the ground. The Armos Knight he had chosen to attack strove to move forward, but Link's attack kept it at bay until the rest of the line had passed. As soon as they had, Link dove to the side. Immediately, the statue rushed past him, nearly obliterating a foot. As soon as the others reached the far end of the room, however, all six formed up again in the circle… this time, to Link's dismay, around him. "Damn… if they close in…" His gaze fell upon the Knight he had injured. "It's still going strong… if I can only take out one, I can escape! But how? Sahasrala?" The sage was silent, leaving him to his challenge, but thinking of him reminded Link of his past words. "For piercing armored foes…" He drew the bow and aimed for the deepest cut he had made in the stone, across the Knight's chest.

By all logic, it should not have worked. Wooden shafts could not pierce stone. Even if they had steel heads, the force was not enough. But the bow of the Hero of Time was different. The arrow flew, and struck the gash… and as it ran straight through, the Armos Knight exploded, shattering into brightly glowing dust. The others did not even seem to notice; as Link had predicted, the circle closed on him even as he dived through the gap in it. Scrambling to his feet, he turned and slashed at a second Knight across the back, aiming for the same spot every time. By the time the Knights had backed up, the wound was deep enough, and another arrow fired brought the number of foes down to four. Again the Knights moved to the back of the room, preparing for their line charge. Link shook his head. "Stupid… they just keep on trying the same tactics." Not even bothering with his sword now, he took aim from the far side of the room. An arrow into an undamaged Armos Knight made it flinch. Two arrows made it shudder. And three destroyed it. One by one, Link killed three of the remaining Knights, and then turned to the last one.

"Good fight, but you… huh?" The Knight had stopped moving; it was motionless. And then its armor became suffused with a blood-red tint, and with a bestial roar, it leapt into the air. High, higher than the others had, fifteen feet into the air… straight above Link. The warrior stared for a moment, then ran for his life as two tons of stone slammed into the ground hard enough to crack it. The last Armos Knight only paused for a moment before leaping again. Link had no time to turn and counterattack; it was all he could do to stay ahead of the thing, running in circles around the room. And even if he could, Link knew that it would take far more than three arrows to stop the guardian now. If he could just get away from it, get some distance, he would be able to fire as many arrows as needed to bring it down… but the Armos Knight relentlessly pounded after him. _No… I can't escape it! I can't get away… it'll kill me! I'm so close… I almost had the Pendant… and now, I'm going to die! I'm going to DIE!_ And then, in a lurch… Link's thoughts changed.

**_No… I won't die here._** He thought back, and he remembered… in a palace full of shifting sand and mind-boggling puzzles. Another guardian warrior… but this one a hulking, fully humanoid suit of iron armor. A monstrosity with a tremendous axe, who rushed him like a bull and delivered blows that sent him flying across the room, blows that would cleave a normal man in half. An Iron Knuckle. He had faced the Iron Knuckle down, and he had won… the Iron Knuckle, and far more deadly foes. And he was scared… he had been scared… of this? Turning, Link glared at the Armos Knight. **_This thing… this mindless sentry… this is NOTHING! It's GARBAGE!_** The Armos Knight leapt into the air above him, and Link stood, glaring up as he held his sword forward. The Knight descended… and then, seconds before it hit, Link whirled around like a windmill, sword picking up speed and force as he spun in a perfect circle, and finishing with a blow into the side of the Armos Knight that sent the two-ton statue crashing away onto its side. Drawing his bow, Link fired coldly, emotionlessly… five arrows in five seconds. The last Armos Knight shattered, as had its comrades. Without a word, Link sheathed his sword and put away his bow… and then, it hit him. What he had done… what he had thought. Link fell to the ground as if clubbed.

"What…" The young warrior whispered. "What…" His voice rose. "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!" Drawing his sword again, he stared at his reflection in the metal. His face was the same as it always had been… and yet… something else was there. Something wrong. Something invisible. Something that filled his head with memories he had never known… something that had killed the last Armos Knight easily, effortlessly, where only a moment before he had been nearly dead. Cursing under his breath, Link sheathed his sword; no answers seemed forthcoming. But something else was, he knew; from the ceiling, something dropped. A round, green gemstone on a cord of rope. As he picked it up, Link looked it over; it was an emerald the size of his fist.

"The Pendant of Courage…" Link whispered. "I did it. I won. I passed, Sahasrala. Sahasrala?" There was no answer. "Must have cut the link… or something. Whatever. I'll just head back to him, then…" His eyes narrowed. "And when I do… he's giving me some answers even if I have to shake them out of him."

"Link…" Sahasrala greeted the young warrior as he walked into the old man's hideout. "Congratulations on-"

"Shut up." Link growled. "No clever wordplay. No games. Just answers. What didn't you tell my Uncle about the disappearance of my parents? What do you know about Agahnim's treachery? What else do I need to do to draw the Master Sword? And what… the… hell… is happening to my HEAD? TALK, old man."

"…" Sahasrala surveyed him clinically. "…All right. Where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning." Link sat down on the floor. "Ten years ago… when these disasters started happening. That was when the first monstrosity was found, wasn't it? A monster like a combination of a man and a flower, with teeth longer than your arm…"

"No." Sahasrala shook his head. "That wasn't when the first monster came… that was when the monsters coming grew so numerous, we descendants could not hide them any more." Link said nothing, and after a moment, the old man continued. "You know of the mighty spell the seven Sages and the Hero of Time placed upon the Golden Land, yes? The barrier, the seal that kept the two worlds separate?" Link nodded. "It was the most powerful spell ever created by mortal hands… and yet, it was not perfect. Five hundred years ago… that was when the first crack appeared."

"Did it take the form of a blue square of energy on the ground?" Link demanded on a hunch.

"Indeed it did." Sahasrala confirmed. "Up on Death Mountain, near a landmark known as Spectacle Rock, just south of the Tower of Hera. Three siblings who lived up there were lost to the portal before we could stop them. And then more came… at present, there are eight of these portals scattered across Hyrule. We cannot close them… we are not strong enough to repair the seal. We could only cover them with rocks-normally, only living beings pass through the portals-and deal with the occasional monster. The portals are, of course, much easier to pass through from this world to the Sacred Realm than the other way around. I believe that they're not even visible on that side… fortunately, the cracks are of yet so small that only the weakest of the monsters there can pass through, and them only with a great deal of effort. That was all that saved us from being overrun for years… and then…"

"And then something happened with Agahnim." Link guessed once more. Again, Sahasrala nodded.

"Correct. We were weak at the time, compared to Circles in the past. King Lucas was more distant from us than most of the Kings were, and your uncle Albert even moreso, for reasons I have already told you. Another of our number, Morris, had left years before… to watch the world separately and alone as a hermit, with only his daughter to aid him. And Valenas had just died, leaving a young, proud, eager young man in her place. Well, young compared to us at any rate…" He sighed. "Even now, we are unsure what caused Agahnim's corruption. We only became aware of it when King Lucas found him sending Morris' daughter, Lily… the King managed to send the message to us before he was struck down. But it was too late… Agahnim already commanded the Knights, and even without them he was too powerful now for any of us to defeat. He must have sent his own daughter before striking at Lily… as for Morris, his fate is unknown. Aginah's daughter Nina was next… Aginah survived, but he was powerless to save his daughter. At that point, myself and Thomas decided that we and our daughters should leave, running to four different locations throughout Hyrule." The old man closed his eyes. "Unfortunately, I was the only one to make it. The other three were all intercepted… Tom's daughter Lucy, as well as… as my own daughter, Sara… were taken. Tom has not been seen since either."

"So he and Morris are both unknowns… the King is dead, as is my uncle… you and Aginah are still active…" Link frowned. "Then there's Agahnim… that leaves one."

"Yes, Quincy." Sahasrala shook his head. "He was safe, for a time… as a descendant of the Sage of Water, he maintained close ties with the Zoras, at the wish of their King, who still maintains his intelligence. Even the Knights and Agahnim could not take him and Wendy from the fish people… until a few days ago, when some of the Knights attacked the Zoras of Lake Hylia. Enraged, the Zora King swam down there to retaliate, and while he was gone, the remaining Knights and Agahnim attacked Zora's Domain. Quincy refused to go down, and indeed, he brought down many Knights, doing us proud… until he came up against Agahnim directly. He was slain, and his daughter was taken as well." He paused. "The Princess has told you of what Agahnim is doing, correct?"

"Yes." Link nodded. "By sending all seven of the girls over, he hopes to break the seal even more."

"Exactly." Sahasrala confirmed. "A great part of the enchantment was tied to the Sages themselves… they are no longer here, of course, but if an entire generation of descendants is sent through the cracks… they will widen, and continue widening, until more and more powerful abominations can cross. And eventually… the Evil King himself will be able to escape."

"Ganon…" Link muttered. The Forger of Power had once had another name, but it had been forgotten in history; now, the name he had been branded with was still feared by many of the Hylians. The madman who had conquered Hyrule, and who had intended to use it as a staging point to sweep over the rest of the world… before he had been stopped, banished but not stripped of his power. Eternally trapped… eternally waiting for another chance. "If he gets out… he'll conquer Hyrule again, even easier than he did before. And then…"

"The rest of the world, in time, shall fall to him as well." Sahasrala agreed somberly. "If the Forger of Power escapes, the world is lost… and so, we must stop Agahnim before that comes to pass. And our only hope for that… is in you, and the Master Sword. May I see the Pendant of Courage?"

"Yeah… here." Link drew it out and handed it to the old man.

"This is it, indeed…" Sahasrala murmured. "Created from the Kokiri's Emerald, one of the three Sacred Stones that were given to the rulers of the different species inhabiting Hyrule, long ago…" He handed it back to Link. "Three Sacred Stones, along with another artifact, were used by your ancestor to open the way to the Sacred Realm, and the Master Sword. The other artifact is lost, but it is not needed any more… the Stones, however, still are."

"Two more Pendants." Link sighed.

"Exactly. The Pendants of Power and Wisdom… once, the Zora's Sapphire and Goron's Ruby." Sahasrala continued. "Recover the other two Pendants, and the Master Sword is yours."

"And, of course, my Ancestor and the Sages guarded them as well." Link guessed.

"Of course." The old man smiled. "But you triumphed over the Eastern Palace, as your ancestor did… the other two will be difficult, but not impossible." Link smirked.

"My ancestor had to tackle this place too, huh?"

"Oh, yes… back when the Lost Woods were here, and not in the northeast…" Sahasrala looked away. "The Eastern Palace was the Forest Temple then, one of six Temples in Hyrule and one in the Sacred Realm. All save that one and the Temple of Time were under Ganon's control… and one by one, your ancestor liberated them. The Fire, Water and Shadow Temples were all lost to time, geography and the elements… the Spirit Temple, however, was like this one."

"Another Pendant's there, then?" Link took out his map. "Show me where it is."

"Here… in the Hylian Desert." Sahasrala made a mark, then made another. "Here is where Aginah currently dwells… I suggest you go after the Pendant of Power in the Desert Palace first, since he will be able to aid you. As for the Pendant of Wisdom… it was originally planned to be kept inside the Temple of Fire, on Death Mountain, but that was lost when Death Mountain ceased to be a volcano, a geological nightmare that broadened its length from east to west by double. And so, the Tower of Hera was constructed instead." Another mark was made. "You have seen the Master Sword yourself, so you know where that was." Link blinked.

"Hey… what about the Temple of Time?"

"Ah…" Sahasrala's eyes twinkled. "That one was much smaller than the others… only a few rooms. It remained intact, but would be no good for protecting anything… and so, it was simply renamed and forgotten. Now, they simply call it the Sanctuary."

"The… where Zelda…" Link sputtered, then laughed. "Ha! A fitting place for the last descendant of the Sage of Time to hide when in danger…" He stopped smiling. "Hey… about these protections. The Armos Knights. What were they? How were they made?"

"I was afraid you would ask that…" Sahasrala sighed. "They were Knights of Hyrule, Link… some of the original order, formed by your ancestor. Six of them volunteered their souls to be placed in the statues, to serve as guardians until the time the Pendant was needed again. But don't feel bad… they did so voluntarily, and now that you have defeated them, they can rest knowing that a hero will soon wield the Sword again."

"Yeah… about that…" Link's frown deepened. "Last question. You know, or at least suspect, what's going on in my head… you were still linked to me when I fought the Knights, just staying silent. But after I beat the last one, you were completely gone… I could feel the difference."

"You could?" Sahasrala's eyes widened. "And this is the first time you've had a telepathic link with somebody… amazing. As to your question… well… I recognized the place the memory was in, and the enemy there. It was the Spirit Temple… and I truly mean that, not the Desert Palace. And the monster, an Iron Knuckle… those have not been seen in Hyrule ever since Ganon's banishment. Which means that memory… must have belonged to the Hero of Time."

"But then why did I suddenly know it?" Link demanded. "And this isn't the first time, either… memories like this have sprung into my head before. When I saw the Master Sword, when I saw the Eastern Palace, when I first met the Princess… and you, for that matter."

"I don't know… I honestly cannot say." Sahasrala spread his hands helplessly. "At a guess, though… the best theory I can come up with is that your ancestor, wherever he is now, is sending you these memories to try and help you. The one in the fight with the Armos Knights helped you win, yes?"

"Well… yes." Link admitted grudgingly. "But still, there has GOT to be a better way of doing it… I wish he'd just give me a little black book full of hints and tips with 'Do not break this seal unless you really need it!' on the cover. Or something." He sighed. "Ah well. I'll stay here tonight, if you don't mind… oh, I almost forgot." He pulled the bottle of red medicine out of his pack. "This should help patch up my wounds…"

"Ah, medicine from Madame Syrup's brews?" Sahasrala recognized it. "A most handy woman… I recommend carrying it wherever you go."

"I plan to." Link nodded.

"Good… oh, this almost slipped my mind! I have something else for you… consider it a reward for passing the test." Reaching into a chest, the old man pulled out a pair of red leather boots, decorated with tiny steel wings. "These also belonged to your ancestor… once, they enabled the wearer to defy gravity for a few moments, but that magic faded with time. So my line, the descendants of the Sage of Light, gave them a new magic. Now, wear them and you will be able to run at more then three times your normal speed. They are called the Pegasus Boots… take them." Link did so.

"Thank you… everything helps." He smiled. "I'll leave in the morning… go see the Princess again, I think. And then I'll head to the desert, like you said… the sooner I draw the Master Sword, the sooner Hyrule can be rid of this plague forever."

"Hm… good, looks like there's no soldiers around right now." Link muttered to himself as he examined the front of Sanctuary. Still, to be on the safe side, he circled around the garden to the door and eased it open. "Hey! Don't get excited, it's just me, Link!"

"So you say…" A hand suddenly gripped his shoulder, and Link froze. "Let's make sure… what does the last trap in the sewers do if you mess it up?"

"One, it drops twenty Ropes on your head." Link sighed. "Second, since when did Agahnim have any kind of shape shifting ability? Aren't we being just a little bit paranoid?" After a moment, the hand relaxed, and he turned around to see Zelda smiling sheepishly.

"Well… maybe a little. But can you blame me? There's just me and Father Brian here, and he's far too old to be any sort of fighter."

"So you have to be prepared to do it all if the enemy DOES show up?" Link raised an eyebrow, and the princess' smile turned nasty.

"Exactly. Don't underestimate me, Link… I AM the last descendant of the Sage of Time. I may not be a swordsman like you, but I can take care of myself and the father if I have to."

"With respect, let's hope it doesn't come to that." Link looked around. "Where is Father Brian, anyways?"

"I'm right here, Link." Father Brian stepped out of a side room, absently polishing a candlestick. "Glad to see you've returned safely."

"So am I, believe it or not." Link flopped down on a pew. "Although there were a few close moments here and there."

"I'll bet." Zelda sat down as well. "Well, don't keep us waiting any longer. What have you gotten done so far?"

"Well, all right." Link thought for a moment, then began explaining everything that had happened… Kakariko Village, the Master Sword, Sahasrala and the Eastern Palace. When he was done, he took out the Pendant of Courage for them to see.

"So… this is what happened to the Kokiri's Emerald…" Father Brian mused. "History books never stated that… as far as we knew, the three Spiritual Stones simply vanished after Hyrule was reclaimed. Obviously, this was left out at the wishes of your ancestor and the Sages…"

"Yeah…" Zelda examined the Pendant. "So, two more of these and then you can draw the sword… fits with the legend. Your ancestor needed the three Stones as well as the royal family's Ocarina of Time to draw the Master Sword originally… though from what Sahasrala said, the Ocarina is no longer necessary. Still, collecting the other two Stones won't be easy."

"No… but I should be able to handle it." Link spread out his map. "The Desert Palace, first… and then the Tower of Hera. A week… maybe two weeks, but I can probably do it in one. You two can hold out for that long, right?"

"Looks like it… they don't have any idea where I am." Zelda shrugged. "Every so often a Knight wanders by, but there's only one time one of them actually came up here, and Father Brian convinced him there was nothing wrong here while I hid in the back room."

"We've got things under control here." The old priest promised. "Don't worry about us… just concentrate on your task, so that we can all live peacefully again." He stood up. "Well, I'll go make some lunch, shall I?" He walked into the back room.

"So…" Zelda handed back the Pendant of Courage. "What are your plans for today?"

"Well, it's too late to head to the Desert now…" Link decided. "I'll stay here a while longer, then go back to Kakriko for the night and go south from there to the desert the next day, so I can meet this Aginah guy."

"So you'll be staying here for some time… I'm glad." Zelda smiled. "Father Brian's nice enough… but there are some thing I just can't talk to him about." Link raised an eyebrow.

"Such as?"

"Well…" The princess' smile disappeared. "You said… this place used to be the Temple of Time once, right? Maybe that explains why… I've been having strange images appear in my mind…"   
"Strange… images?" Link repeated slowly. The memories appearing in his head were the only part of the story he hadn't told. "Like what?"

"It's mostly when I'm sleeping… I just wake up remembering this place like it must have been thousands of years ago… of walking up to the original alter of the Master Sword, and seeing you standing there… except it's not really you…" Zelda floundered. "It's… hard to explain. And then one time, a nightmare… I'm meeting you there again, and this time I'm giving you something… some kind of weapon, I think… and then I'm suddenly trapped, encased in crystal, and I hear this man's laugh…" She shuddered. "I never want to hear that sound again, but I'm afraid I'll have the same dream tonight…" She paused. "But then… once more, and this was before I came here. It was… when I met you in the dungeon…"

"It was some kind of garden." Link spoke automatically. "We were both younger… kids… you were looking in a window, and I was walking up behind you…" Zelda gasped.

"How… did you know that!"

"It happened to me, too… and things like that have kept on happening." Link explained. "We both know that… never happened. We never met before a few days ago… and yet, that image… it seems, FEELS real, right?"

"Yes…" Zelda admitted. "But what is it? If you saw the same thing, I can't have just been imagining it…"

"I asked Sahasrala about it… he thought it might be something my ancestor is doing." Link continued. "You know… the Hero of Time. Sending HIS memories to me, to try and help me out… maybe the Sage of Time is doing the same for you."

"That could be it." Zelda slowly nodded. "I just hope they stop once Agahnim is dead and we're finished with this nightmare. They might get a bit inconvenient after that, to say the least."

"Oh, yes." Link rolled his eyes. "We'll have enough to do repairing the damage without working on repairing a house and suddenly remembering the time our ancestors tried to scare a carpenter and only got mistaken for his mother." Zelda laughed.

"Ha! Yeah, I think I can do without that. For now, though, let's go see how Father Brian is doing." Standing up, the two of them walked towards the back, leaving the main room of the Sanctuary… the Temple of Time… empty once more.


	5. Chapter 4: Finding Power

**_Chapter 4: Finding Power_**

The southern portion of Hyrule was dominated by three separate areas, each with its own distinct ecosystem. In the east was the massive Lake Hylia, in the center the marshy wetlands, and in the west the Great Desert. At the moment, one young man was passing through the narrow valley that marked the transition from the second to the third of the aforementioned.

"Some days, I hate birds." Link muttered, pegging the circling vulture overhead with an arrow. Normally, he had no ornithological grudges, but the vultures of the Great Desert would attack the moment your back was turned. Croaking, the black-feathered brute expired, and Link continued on, turning north as soon as he entered the desert proper. While shooting down another vulture, he nearly tripped over a cactus. Grumbling, he advanced further to a crack in the walls of the high cliffs surrounding the desert, barely wide enough to admit a man. "This doesn't look promising, but it's all there is here. Hey, mister Aginah! You here?"

"I am indeed." Another old man called from the depths of the cave. "Enter."

"Charming place you've got out here." Link commented as he walked inside. "Nothing personal, but when the fauna AND the flora are BOTH trying to kill you… well, it kind of says something."

"Hmph… it suits me." Aginah shrugged with only the barest hint of a smile appearing between moustache and beard. The old man of the desert looked quite similar to Sahasrala, though his skin was darker, his beard shorter and his moustache longer. His orange robe had an emblem on the front as well; two ghostly wisps circling each other. "You knew my name… then you must be Link, nephew of Albert. I am indeed Aginah, descendant of the Sage of Spirit." Link was unsurprised to see another image appear in his head; a beautiful, dark-skinned woman with long orange hair bound back in a huge ponytail. She was somewhat scantily clad, but her eyes were wild and completely unafraid of anything.  
"Yeah… Sahasrala told me about you." Link shook his head to clear it of the vision. "Said you could help me with the Desert Palace."

"He did, did he…" Aginah smirked. "Sahasrala is still, as always, overconfident… eager. You may have proven yourself to him… but I remain as of yet not entirely convinced." Link stared at him for a moment, then pulled the Pendant of Courage out and dangled it between their faces.

"You see this Pendant? See it?"

"Indeed I do." Aginah confirmed calmly. "However, that is hardly total proof. The Eastern Palace is the easiest of the three trials, and it is possible to make it through entirely on will and courage, which I understand you did. This IS an accomplishment, mind you; however, it is not enough. Not enough for the man who would draw the Master Sword… who would strike down Agahnim."

"…Heh." Link chuckled after a moment's thought. "I get it. This is another test… just like with Sahasrala. Well, fair enough, old man. What do I have to do?"

"Well, being able to get into the palace would be a good start." Aginah suggested wryly. "It's not like the Eastern Palace… you can't just waltz in. Go to the library in Kakariko and get the Book of Mudora… you'll need it."

"The Book of Mudora… right." Link sighed. "Man, I wish I had known this before I came here… now I have to go all the way back to Kakariko and then come back here tomorrow."

"Be glad that's all you have to do in times like these." The old man snorted. "The Great Cataclysm is approaching, and you complain about a little more walking? Heh, some hero."

"If you start talking about kids these days, I'm going to get all the vultures I've pegged here and leaving them on your doorstep." Link grumbled as he turned to leave. Aginah cackled.

"Get out of here, youngster! If you want to be the next hero, go get that book already!"

Grumbling all the way, Link made his way back north to Kakariko, where he immediately located the library. The building hadn't had a proper librarian since old Mr. Cedric had died twelve years before; the people of Kakariko took turns coming in to make sure the place was kept clean and orderly.  
"At least there won't be any Knights here… probably." Link hoped as he cautiously entered the library. "Now then, Book of Mudora… M, M… here we go. Majora, Mario… further… Mole Mania-what the heck-Mudora. Bingo." It was a somewhat thin green book that Link easily lifted with one hand. "Let's see here… huh?" It appeared to be some kind of guide to translation, from common Hylian to some other, bizarre written language, all swirls and loops and zigzags. "Bizarre… hey, wait a second, this is the same stuff on the Altar of the Master Sword! So, this book translates that…" He closed it and slipped it into his pack. "Well, I suppose this could certainly be good to have-eh?" A noise behind him made him turn just in time to see a flash of red bolt through the door, leaving it swinging. "Hey! Somebody was in here… running to the guards? Time to try out my fancy new footwear…" Kicking up a thin layer of dust, Link blasted out the door at a clip that the average horse would have been hard-pressed to match. Up ahead, he saw the eavesdropper; a young man with dirty blond hair, wearing a fanciful red hat and cloak. "Benny… damn. He was always the fastest of us…" Link measured the space between them and smiled. "But not any more, it seems! YAH!" Lunging forward, he tackled Benny and brought him down.

"Link!" The young man gasped. "Get off of me!"

"That's right, I'm Link!" Link growled. "The same Link you grew up with! The same Link who you explored the Lost Woods side by side with! The same Link who was in the Great Cucco Disaster with you! Remember?" Benny looked downward.

"Well, yes…"

"Good." Link stood up. "Come on, Benny. You're smarter than this. Are you really buying into what Agahnim's selling?"

"Well…" Benny looked down. "I don't know… Sally and Jessica are…"

"And I'm sorry about them doing so, but that doesn't mean you have to as well." Link told him firmly. "You know me, Benny. You know I wouldn't do anything bad… and you know what Agahnim really is."

"Yeah, I suppose." Benny slowly smiled. "All right, I won't tell any of the Knights I saw you. You sure have gotten faster."

"It's these boots." Link shrugged. "Chief Sahasrala gave them to me."

"No kidding?" Benny looked impressed. "I'll bet they make it real easy to get the jump on your enemies… just run up and ram 'em with your sword before they know it's coming." Link blinked.

"Hey… that might just work, you know. Cool idea. Thanks, Benny."

"No charge." The youth grinned. "I'll bet with that speed it was real easy to kidnap Zelda… joking, joking!" He ran off, laughing, and Link shook his head.

"Might as well head for the hideout… I'll want to get an early start tomorrow."

"And back to the desert I go." Link sighed, walking through the valley. Something caught his eye, and he turned to see a man who could only be described as "nondescript" lying quietly on the ground. Height, weight, hair, eyes… all of them were as average as possible. Next to him was a signboard. "Eh?" Frowning, Link read it.

_Pay no attention to the average middle-aged man by this sign. Leave him alone._

"Oo… kay." Link shook his head. "Well, whatever." He turned around and yelled as a vulture which had been sneaking up dove at his face. He jumped aside, and the bird smashed into the ground behind him. Growling, Link turned and slashed angrily, killing the scavenger… and the man's sign, as well. "Uh… oops. Sorry?" The man showed no signs of noticing. "Um… sorry about that. I'll… just go." Link turned and walked on, into the desert. "Strange guy… hey, wait a second here. My pocket feels… HEY!" Checking his pocket, Link swore; his wallet was gone. Turning around, he saw the man calmly tossing it in one palm.

"Couple hundred rupees here. This should do nicely."

"All right, very funny, mister." Link growled, drawing his sword. "Now give it back."

"Hm…" The man thought for a moment. "No, I don't think I'll be doing that. You should pay closer attention to warning signs, youngster. They're usually there for your own good."

"WARNING signs?" Link sputtered. "That tears it! Come here, you!" He charged, and the man dodged away nimbly.

"Just try it, youngster!"  
"Oh, you'd better believe I will…" Link lunged again, jumping over a cactus… and then something beneath his feet exploded, sending him flying. "WHOA!"

"Watch your step, kid!" The man chuckled. "There's a crazy old man out here who puts out traps!"

"A crazy old man, hm…" A third voice repeated. "Thank you for that compliment, Roger." The man instantly froze.

"Oh… uh… hi, Aginah."

"Aginah." Link got to his feet. "Mind explaining why you lay LAND MINES around here?"

"For the Knights, of course." Aginah shrugged. "Did you get the book?"

"Of course." Link echoed. "And I was heading back here when I ran afoul of THIS guy… you said his name was Roger?"

"Bronze Roger… a lazy, unprincipled, good-for-nothing who probably has a criminal record if I could be bothered to check." Aginah rattled off. Roger bowed flamboyantly.

"That's me, all right."

"Give him his wallet back, Roger." Aginah instructed him. "He's got more important things to do than play around with you."

"Oh, all right." Bronze Roger tossed the wallet back to Link. "Where's he going, anyways?"

"The Desert Palace." Link shrugged, putting his wallet away.

"The Desert Palace?" Roger's eyes widened. "You're joking, right? Even I've never been able to bust into that place!" Aginah snorted.

"I should hope not. And yet…" The old man's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps you would be a useful companion to Link… and then I wouldn't have to bother to tag along."

"What!" Link stared at him. "You've got to be kidding!"

"No, I think that is how we'll do this." Aginah decided. "Roger, go along with Link… he'll get you in, and you'll have the run of the palace. Just as long as you don't take two things…" He whispered something, and Roger nodded. "Keep an eye on him, and don't get in his way."

"Hey, don't I have any say in this?" Link complained.

"No." Both men said simultaneously. Aginah smirked. "Now, take out the book."

"Slaggin' fraggin'…" Muttering to himself, Link reached into his pack and pulled out the book. As he did, the rod from the Ice Cave fell out as well. "Huh? Oh yeah, forgot I had that thing… something wrong, old man?" Aginah was staring at the rod.

"The Ice Rod… you have THAT?"

"Yeah, I found it in some cave." Link shrugged, picking it up. "Haven't figured out how to make it work… you know?"   
"Hm…" Aginah pondered. "You haven't had any magic training, then… this is an artifact of magic, Link."

"No kidding… hm." Link frowned. "A witch I met said something about those… can anybody use them?"

"Oh, sure." Bronze Roger nimbly nabbed the Rod. "Watch me. Hey, presto!" He pointed the Ice Rod at a vulture perched on a cactus, glaring at them. A cloud of blue sparkles shot out, hit the bird, and instantly turned it into a frozen statue.

"WELL, now." Link grabbed it. "Let me try that. Poof!" He froze another vulture. "Cool!"

"Just don't use that too carelessly." Aginah advised. "If you use it too much you'll grow exhausted mentally, and have to rest before you can use any more magic."

"Aah." Link nodded. "All right. Now, about this book…"

"Yes, yes." Aginah flipped it open. "The instructions for how to get in are in front of the palace."

"Yeah, they're in some funky language. Hey, is that book a translator?" Bronze Roger chipped in. "That explains how you're getting in!"

"Yes, Roger." Aginah sighed. "All right, both of you get going. I'll see you when you're done."

"Yeah, yeah…" Link set off to the east, grumbling, with Bronze Roger trailing placidly behind. Before long, they reached the Palace entrance. "Well. This is… different." A sheer cliff face stretched twenty feet up into the air. Atop it were three huge gargoyle heads, mouths gaping wide. The only way up was a staircase that led into the largest head, the central one. The stairs led down to the desert floor where three more gargoyle heads, these ones as solid as boulders, blocked the way. And in front of them, a square green pillar rose from the sand, with a plaque on the front.

"Don't try climbing over them." Bronze Roger advised. "I knew a guy once who did. Me and the rest of his buddies had a whip-around and gave him a splendid funeral."

"That's a cheerful thought to take into this place." Link muttered as, completely unsurprised, he looked upon a different Desert Palace, long ago… a gigantic monolith built into the hundred-foot cliff, with a massive stone statue of a Gerudo woman sitting at the front. Shaking the image off, he opened the Book of Mudora. "All right, let's see here… hm. To open… the… clam? No. The… way. Forward. Fillet your… wrong. Bake your… wrong again. MAKE your… wish here and… snail… no. And… will it… to… space cucco mafia? HELL no. To… come true."

"Wait, you just have to make a wish?" Bronze Roger blinked. "Is that all? Sheesh! Ahem… I wish the way would open, so that I may plunder!" Nothing happened. "Hmph… you must have mistranslated. Maybe it WAS space cucco mafia."

"Oh, shut up." Link put away the book. "Let me try." He closed his eyes. _Whatever it is that's supposed to hear this… it's me. The last descendant of the Hero of Time. I know he sealed this place up to keep people from getting inside… but now it's time for it to open again. Hyrule needs the Master Sword… that's our only hope. And for that, I need the Pendant of Power. Let me in… or else everything will be lost._ A rumbling caused him to open his eyes and watch as the three blocker heads shifted and moved out of the way.

"Ha ha! Not bad, kid!" Bronze Roger scampered up the stairs. "Meet up with you later… time to loot, loot, loot!"

"Argh…" Link shook his head as he walked up more sedately. "Why Aginah paired me up with him, I'll never know. Maybe the old guy's gone senile." Walking into the center gargoyle's maw, he took the stairs inside down and looked around. Immediately, he saw that the Desert Palace had a far different layout from the Eastern Palace; the largest room was right at the front, with many side passages snaking off throughout the palace. The floor was still gritty sand, from which tunneling Leever sand insects rose, moved about and then sunk again. Already, Bronze Roger had vanished. Selecting a passage at random, Link moved toward it, then stopped. A new type of statue guardian was waiting by the passages; this one was solid metal throughout. "Damn… my sword won't be able to cut that no matter what I do. Same with my arrows." The statue's design was simple; above a solid base, a huge spherical eye slowly rotated. As it saw him, the pupil narrowed, and Link raised his shield just in time to block a searing laser. "WHOA!" Unconcerned, the eye kept going on its cycle, and Link wisely decided to duck away down a side passage before it got around to him again. The passage led him a small room… with another Beamos statue, as Link decided to dub them, in it. Far in the back of the room was a giant chest, like the one that had held his bow and arrows.

"Huh… another treasure? Well, can't get it now…" Choosing another passage, he followed it to the end, where he found a tightly locked door. "Huh… going to be trickier this time, I see… eh?" He frowned; from the other side of the door, he heard a sound repeating itself every second. A sound like cannon fire. "THAT doesn't sound good… well, no point worrying about it until I actually have to deal with it." A third passage, this one on the far right, led him to stairs that took him up to the rightmost gargoyle head, where he quickly discovered there was nothing for him but a twenty-foot drop. "All right… so the one on the far left will probably take me to the other exit. I forget if that one's right on the edge of the cliff too or not, but either way, I don't want to go up there just yet. That just leaves one…" Walking down it, he found a small room with a high pillar in the center. Bronze Roger was staring up at the top.

"Hey, kid." The thief greeted him without even looking. "Find much?"

"Not really… just questions." Link shrugged, joining him.

"Probably because I've got a lot of it already… a couple hundred Rupees. Not too bad." Bronze Roger pointed up. "There's something up there. I'm just figuring out the correct way to get it down." Link thought for a moment, then used his Pegasus boots and shoulder charged the pillar, using his shield to protect himself from the impact. The pillar shook, and a small metal key dropped down. "That works… hey, think that goes to that locked door?"

"Probably." Link nodded. "Let's go check it out, shall we?" Bronze Roger shrugged and tagged along. Opening the door, Link went on through and confirmed his worst suspicions. It was a long hall, and on either side of it, a cannon was attached to the wall, moving back and forth and firing shots at holes on the other wall. At the far end, another key dangled on the wall. Bronze Roger stared.

"Now THAT's what I call security. Sheez… and all for a key? How're you going to manage that, kid? At least I assume you're planning to try?"

"You got it." Link nodded. "As for how… look closely. The shots aren't random… they can't be, or they'd hit each other. There's a set pattern… one I can slip through."

"Still…" Bronze Roger shook his head. "Going in there takes a lot of guts, kid."

"Oh, I've got THAT down already." Link assured him with a cocky smirk before running forward. As he had predicted, he made it through the cannonballs, and grabbed the key. On his way back, though, right when he was almost through, a shot clipped him on the shoulder and sent him to the ground. Bronze Roger leaped in and pulled him to safety.

"Whoa, you okay, kid?"

"I'm… fine." Link grunted, getting up. "Only brushed me."

"If you insist…" Roger shrugged. "So, now where?"

"This'll unlock that one huge chest, I'll bet." Link guessed. "Let's go grab it." They slipped past the Beamos in the room easily enough; Bronze Roger had discovered that their eyes had a radius of ten feet. And when they opened the chest, Link pulled out a pair of bright, shining silver gauntlets.

"WELL, now." Bronze Roger stared at them. "Those like even nicer than old man Aginah said they would… pity they're one of the two things he said I had to let you take. Oh well."

"One of them, eh?" Link slipped the gauntlets on. "And what was the other?"

"A pendant… a blue one." The thief shrugged. "Haven't seen that anywhere, though, and I've pretty much been through all the rooms… this map I found is a bit strange, though. Look…" Unfurling said map, he showed Link a cluster of rooms that were in the back, unconnected to the rest of the palace. "How do you suppose we get there, hm?"

"Well…" Link thought for a moment. "Let's go try this…" They walked out through the left exit, and as Link had guessed, found that this gargoyle was further back on the cliff top, allowing them to walk out onto it… and behind the main entrance, where they found a pile of rocks against another wall. Above the rocks, three metal spheres and four metal blades were set to look like eyes and fangs.

"None of us ever knew this was back here…" Bronze Roger murmured as Link, on a hunch, grabbed a heavy-looking rock and managed to hoist it easily. "You think the real big treasure's back here?"

"That's my guess. These gauntlets are great." Link continued shifting the rocks. "These rocks must weigh at least a hundred pounds, but I'm moving them like they're nothing." Soon, the way was clear, and the two men walked inside. The room they came to, unlike the others, was tiled; the tiles were each perfectly square, a foot across. As soon as they entered, a steel shutter slammed across the door behind them. "Hey! What gives?"

"Oh-oh… I've heard about this sort of thing. Get in a corner, kid, and keep your sword ready." Bronze Roger instructed, drawing an evil-looking dirk. Mystified, Link did so, and after a moment he realized why. The floor tiles themselves were rising off the floor, spinning in place for a moment, and then launching themselves at the intruders. Fortunately, they were clay and easily shattered by either blade. After about twenty or so attacks, the tiles stopped; they had formed the shape of a skull and crossbones on the floor. "Man… some people just REALLY don't play fair with their security." The door behind them opened again, but they went on ahead instead. The next room was L-shaped, turning left; after the turn, a red Rocklops sat between four cement furnaces. Disposing of the guardian with a few arrows, Link examined the furnaces.

"Hm… no door onward… or so it seems." Taking out his lantern, he flipped the switch that lit it, then used the flame inside to light all four furnaces. As the fourth took light, the back wall began to rumble, and then shifted back, revealing the next door. "Hey, check that out." Link pointed above it. The skull of some insectoid beast was mounted on the wall; a circular, fang-ringed maw dominated the front, with several eye sockets along the sides.

"Lanmola…" Bronze Roger whistled. "Giant worms that used to dominate this desert. They were a terror… good thing they all died out, eh, kid."

"Yeah… good thing…" Link muttered, remembering the last room of the Eastern Palace. "Let's go on in…"

"All right." Bronze Roger nodded, and they did so. The room beyond was sand again, and the only door was the one they had entered through, which slammed behind them. "Hey! What gives?"

"You might want to get down." Link advised him. "This promises to be nasty." There was a rumbling from deep below, in the sand… a stirring of the earth in one spot… and then a huge, segmented green sandworm launched itself up, arcing over them both.

"A Lanmola…" Bronze Roger whispered, face turning white. More rumbles followed, as two more of the beasts surfaced as well. "Three of them! We're dead!"

"Not if I can help it!" Link growled, slashing at the side of one of them. His sword bounced off. "Gah!"

"Look, the only vulnerable spot is the head, but we've got no chance here!" Bronze Roger yelled.

"Better than just lying down and dying, isn't it?" Link ran up the length of the creature, but it was too late; the Lanmola was already burrowing again, as were the other two. Link waited for another mound of sand, and when the Lanmola burst forth again, he sliced at its head and was rewarded with a pained squeal. He pressed his advantage, only to be hit in the back with something small at high velocity. He stumbled and turned to see the maw of another Lanmola roaring towards him. He sliced at it with his sword as he dove away, but it kept going forward mindlessly before burrowing, and he had to scramble to avoid the third as it came for him as well.

"They're group hunters…" Bronze Roger muttered. "Attack one, and the others will take your back."

"Is that so…" Link thought for a moment. "Did you see what hit me?"

"Piece of stone shrapnel." Bronze Roger shrugged. "They spew them when they come up."

"Lovely… probably no way to stop that… just have to endure it!" Link ran over to the mound of dirt, and when the Lanmola emerged, he hit it once, then held his blade at the ready. When the shrapnel hit him again, he did not turn, but instead unleashed the Whirling Blade Strike technique that he had used on the final Armos Knights… hitting the Lanmola in front of him, turning and slamming the one behind him, and then hitting the one in front again. As soon as it was completed, he dived away from the surfacing third sandworm and watched all three disappear. "Now if they learn, I'm screwed, but they don't look all that bright…" He waited, and when the Lanmolas surfaced once more, he repeated the same defense… and they fell for it the exact same way. As the final strike hit the first Lanmola, it groaned and collapsed limply on the sand oozing ichor. Link was so elated about the defeat that he forgot about the third Lanmola. Hissing, the sandworm lunged, and Link barely managed to avoid a fatal bite, spinning so that all the beast did was slam him. Which still hurt like heck. Slowly getting to his feet, Link wavered. "Uh… hurts…" Taking out the bottle of red medicine, he drank it. "Whoo… quite a kick, this stuff. Made the right move getting another bottle on my way back from Sahasrala's. There we go, I'm healed up… but I dunno if I can take the other two down…" _If I really get in a bind… will my ancestor help me out again? Maybe… but… I don't want him to. This time… I want to do it myself. _He glanced at Bronze Roger. "Hey! What do you know about these things?"

"Entirely too much…" Roger shuddered.

"Well, tell me all of it!" Link yelled. "Anything that could help!" He dodged the remaining two Lanmolas, not attacking yet.

"The Lanmolas are omnivorous, and will commonly attack and devour cacti as well as other animals." The thief rattled off as if from a textbook. "Even the sharp needles will not deter their appetite. They can feel footsteps of prey above them from as deep down as two miles. They are entirely diurnal; the cold nights of the desert above are deadly to them…" Link smiled at this.

"They don't like cold, huh?" He drew the Ice Rod with his left hand. "Let's give that a shot, then!" One of the beasts surfaced, and Link blasted it in the head with the frigid magic. The entire Lanmola was, for a moment, encased in ice before breaking free with a pained shriek. "Ha… got you!" He fired again, and this time before it could shatter the ice, he brought his sword down on it with a mighty overhead slash that broke both ice and skull, killing it.

"Behind you!" Bronze Roger yelled, too late, as a veritable hail of shrapnel slammed into Link's back, knocking him on his face. He groaned and turned to see the last Lanmola only inches away, and reacted in the only way he could; thrusting his hand with the Ice Rod forward. The magic activated even as the fangs closed painfully on his arm; Link froze, and froze, and froze it again, using every scrap of will he had left…. _A remembrance, of two gigantic sandworms, identical save for coloration, bizarrely wearing humongous masks…_ "No. No, I don't need this…" _One of them already dead, the other wrapped tightly around him, and his sword, squeezing, killing…_ "Leave me! Leave my head ALONE!" _The only way to live… to slash, and slash, and slash some more, and then…_ And then, with the last of his strength, Link brought his sword up and hacked at the head, praying that it would not unfreeze. It did not. Not even when he removed the head entirely and pulled his bleeding arm away.

"You…" Bronze Roger's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Kid… who the hell ARE you?"

"I'm Link… last descendant of the Hero of Time." Link looked upward. "And I WILL draw the Master Sword… and use it to slay Agahnim." He reached out his hand, and caught the Pendant of Power as it dropped; a sapphire gemstone, looking almost entirely the same as the Pendant of Courage save for the color. "I've passed this test as well, then… one more to go. Come on… let's get back to Aginah."

"Ah, good." Aginah looked up from a book he was reading as Link and Bronze Roger entered his cave. "I see you're still alive. That just leaves the question of if you passed or just decided to hell with it." In response, Link held up the Pendant of Power. "Well, that answers THAT. I should have known, I suppose… didn't think you looked the type to give up."

"Just the opposite, believe me." Bronze Roger agreed fervently. "There were three Lanmolas there, and I thought we were worm chow, but this kid took 'em all on without flinching. I don't impress easily, but you got guts, Link."

"Thanks." Link smirked. "By the way… you're a thief named Bronze Roger, right? Any relation to the Bronze Hands of the Lost Woods?" Roger was silent for a moment, then began to chuckle.

"All right, you got me. Yeah, I used to be the boss of those goofs… but after a while, it all got boring. Place like this kingdom, there's not really much for a gang of thieves to do except for the occasional light mugging and some pickpocketing… unless we wanted to go off the deep end like the Black Eye Gang, and THEY ended up mysteriously disappearing, every one of 'em. So I retired and came out here." He looked out at the desert. "It's been nice… but even duller than it was as a thief. Maybe I should head back to the guys… plus, even out here I've heard about this Agahnim, and I don't like him one bit. Seems to me doing some jobs on the Knights and the castle right about now wouldn't be frowned upon."

"I know I wouldn't complain." Link grinned. "Anything to piss Agahnim off."

"I'll think about it, anyways… for now, though, I'm going to catch some sleep again." The thief grinned back. "I won't even charge you for my sign. See you around, kid… old man." He walked out, and Link turned back to Aginah.

"All right. Two pendants down… that leaves the Tower of Hera, right?"

"Correct… and this time you'll be on your own." Aginah set down the book. "Neither me nor Sahasrala are suited for mountain climbing at our age. You'll have to scale Death Mountain by yourself… the Tower of Hera, and the Pendant of Wisdom, await you at the top."

"I'll manage." Link shrugged. "Like old Roger said, I beat three Lanmolas… though I'll admit it was very close."

"I know." Aginah admitted calmly. "I was watching… as was Sahasrala."

"Maybe I should start charging rent in my head." Link rolled his eyes. "What with you two and my ancestor… at least I managed to do fine on my own without much from HIM this time around. Still, yeesh."

"At least I can tell you I won't be doing it when you go get the third." Aginah assured him. "I've seen enough… I trust your skills. No promises on Sahasrala, though… he's a nosy old coot."

"Har… no arguments on that here." Link frowned. "About that, though… at the end… my ancestor was in there again, wasn't he? Did I beat the last Lanmola by myself, or did he help?"

"I'm afraid he had to aid you again, Link." Aginah admitted. The young warrior sighed.

"Ah well… at least I did better by myself this time. And I WILL defeat the third guardian by myself. For now, though, mind if I sack out here tonight? It's pretty late…"  
"No problem." Aginah indicated the back. "There's a spare cot there."

"Thanks. I'll be off in the morning." Link headed back, and was soon fast asleep. The day after, he left without waking Aginah and set out immediately. As he passed the spot where he had met Bronze Roger, he saw the thief lying out again with a new, identical sign. "What, does he have a stockpile of those or something?" Chuckling, Link went on. He was not, however, greeted by the princess, but by a wide-eyed Father Brian.

"Link! Thank the Godesses you're back!"

"What's wrong!" Link yelled, a thousand scenarios running through his mind, each worse than the last. "Has something happened to Zelda?"

"She's run off!" The old priest gave him a note. "I found this on the altar this morning!"

_Father, I'm going out for just a bit. I'm sorry, but I can't stand just being in here for any longer. I need to see the outside world, just for a short time. I'll be back soon, and don't worry, I'll be VERY careful. Zelda._

"That idiot…" Link crumpled the note in his fist. "Right, you stay here, your worship. I'll go look for her." Leaving the Sanctuary, he forced himself to pull his thoughts together. "Think, Link. Where would she go, out of all the places in Hyrule? Not the castle, she's not THAT stupid… I hope. Where else…" He looked to the west, and a few minutes later, was walking into the Lost Woods, headed straight for the grove of the Master Sword. Remembering its location, he found it much faster than he had on his first trip, and sure enough, Zelda was standing right in front of it, gazing upon it.

"Hello, Link." She greeted him without turning around. "I imagine you're irritated at me for coming out here."

"Irritated doesn't even began to describe it." Link growled. "What in Hyrule possessed you to come up with the idea to just sneak off, when so many people are looking for you, and NOT for nice reasons?"

"Like I wrote in the note, it's only for a short time… and you certainly told me enough about avoiding the Knights." Zelda shrugged. "None of them ever even saw me. And once I was here… here, of all places, do you think they could get me?"

"Yes." Link disagreed bluntly. "Agahnim may be evil, but he's incredibly powerful, too… maybe he couldn't touch the sword or the altar, but he could probably enter the grove. As for the Knights, maybe they couldn't, but they could look in, see you and call the boss man."

"All right, point." Zelda sighed. "I'm sorry. Let's go, then."

"All… wait, as long as I'm here…" Link drew out the Book of Mudora. "I want to see just what it says on this altar."

"A book that translates from ancient Hylian?" Zelda looked impressed. "Cool… what DOES it say?"

"The Hero's… trout? No. Triumph. On cataclysm's… mother-in-law? I think NOT. On cataclysm's EVE, that's better…wins three Pendants of Virtue. The Master Sword he will then… eat? Uh-UH. Retrieve. Keeping the Knights'… Happy Mask? No. Knights' line… true."

"Ancient Hylian was a very confusing language, I see." Zelda was struggling to keep a straight face. "Interesting mural, though… although it doesn't really tell us much we didn't already know."

"Yeah, it did." Link slammed the book shut and put it away. "It tells us that whoever carved this knew this day would come… and somehow, I think, Hyrule knows it too… if that makes any sense."

"Oddly enough, it does." Zelda nodded. "Let's get back, then."

"Yeah." Link frowned again as they walked out of the Grove. "This really was a bad move, princess. It was far too risky and foolhardy."

"Yeah, well, it's all right for you." Zelda muttered. "You get to charge around everywhere in Hyrule, finding Pendants, while I'm stuck in the Sanctuary."

"I'M not the one Agahnim needs to ruin Hyrule." Link retorted. "He only wants me dead because I'm a pain in his ass, but if he gets YOU, it's goodbye to everyone and everything. You've got a duty not to let that happen, Princess Zelda. Not just to yourself, but to your people, and your Kingdom."

"All right, all right." She threw her hands up in surrender. "Enough, already. I won't do this any more. Just hurry up and get the third Pendant so you can draw that Sword back there and send Agahnim packing… you did get the Pendant of Power, right?"

"Yeah." Link took it out and tossed it to her. "Just one to go."

"All right, kids." A familiar voice said from behind them. "Hands up, turn around, and let's see what's in those wallets, hm?"

"Hey, buddy. It's me." Link turned around, smirking. "Guy with a sword, remember?"

"Aw, not again!" The Bronze Hand thief groaned. "All right, sorry, pal-" His eyes widened as Zelda turned around too, smirking even wider. "Ah… ah! I'm sorry, miss! I didn't recognize you, miss! I'll leave you two alone now, miss!" He practically tripped over himself running away. Link stared.

"…You know that guy? What did you DO?"

"I showed him what would happen if he actually attacked me." Zelda shrugged. "He jumped me while I was heading to the Grove. Regretted it. Here." She gave Link the Pendant back.

"Yeesh… well, whatever." Link put it away. "So… had any more visions?"

"A few." Zelda admitted. "When I was leaving the Temple-sorry, the Sanctuary-I had this bizarre urge to dress up in some kind of ninja suit and lug around a harp and some daggers."

"Weird." Link shook his head. "Anything else?"

"The nightmare about being trapped in crystal…" Zelda shuddered, then paused. "And once… also while sleeping…" She flushed. "I was… kissing you. Well, your ancestor really, but…"

"Well, now…" Link murmured. "Did he really look that much like me?"

"Very much…" Zelda nodded, stopping and turning to look at him. "A little taller… hair a little lighter… but aside from that…"

"Now that's the kind of dream I could be happy with being on the other end of." Link smiled slightly, stopping and turning as well. "You know… we don't REALLY need to get back to the Sanctuary that quickly."

"We could take a few minutes here…" Zelda agreed hesitantly. "And talk… or something…"

"Or something." Link repeated quietly. They moved closer, eyes on each others' faces, arms outstretched… and then a Cucco exploded out of a nearby bush, startling them both. They jumped back, eyes wide.

"On second thought, we really should go as soon as possible to make sure Father Brian's all right." Zelda said quickly.

"Yeah." Link nodded. "We should. Let's go, then." The two of them turned, and walked away once more, now silent… but both of their thoughts were racing loudly and vibrantly about the other as they left the Lost Woods behind.


	6. Chapter 5: Learning Wisdom

**_Chapter 5: Learning Wisdom_**

"Oh, Goddesses… another wanted sign?" The young man walking towards Death Mountain groaned, seeing the wooden board on the post. "No wait, this is different. 'Danger! No climbing Death Mountain without the King's permission!' Ha." Link started to chuck the board away, then paused. "Wait, what's this scrawled at the bottom? 'Especially you, Link!' …Very funny, Agahnim." He chuckled darkly as he set fire to the sign with his lantern, then looked up… and up… and up. Easily the largest landmark in Hyrule, Death Mountain had been part of Hyrule even longer than any of the kingdom's fixtures, and doubtless would remain when each and every one of the others had vanished with time. Once, long ago, there had been a narrow path winding up its length from the bottom, but the lowest portion had collapsed and there was no to climb up the sheer, nearly vertical slopes… unless one had an Uncle who had known about such things, and liked to tell stories of expeditions to a young nephew. Looking past the burning sign, Link saw the narrow crevice he was searching for. The cavern tunnel, he knew would lead him not even a fifth of the way up, but the path it would emerge on would take him the rest of the way. "No going back now… but I'll have to watch out once I'm up there. Judging by that sign, there'll be Knights waiting… Agahnim must know what I'm doing. Still, as long as he's not there himself, I'll be fine." Looking around one last time, Link entered the cavern, holding his lantern out in front of him. The cavern was pitch-black, of course, but with his handy light he was at least able to see a few feet ahead of him. This was fortunate, as he had to avoid deep pitfalls that his uncle hadn't warned him about. "I wonder… were those always there, and did Uncle Al just not tell me… or did the Knights dig them… huh?" There was a clatter of stone in front of him, beyond the lantern's light. Link drew his sword. "Who's there? Show yourself!" There was a moment of silence, and then a reply.

"Uh… that's what I… mm… wish to know, young man. It's been a while since I've seen anybody else up here." The voice's occupant walked forward into the lantern light, and Link relaxed. It was an ancient man, even older than Sahasrala and Aginah; his body was almost bent double, and he walked with a wooden cane. His head was almost completely bald, with only a thin fringe of snow-white hair, and he had a short mustache of the same color, although no beard. "Hm… are you… climbing up Death Mountain, young man? If so… would you mind helping me up as well? I lost my lantern…"

"No problem, sir." Link decided. The old man seemed harmless enough. "Just stay close to me… you live up here?"

"Yes… I prefer a solitary life…" The old man confirmed. "Although recently… other people have been disturbing the peace and quiet of this mountain. Hrmph… I don't like that. Not at all…" Link frowned.

"These people… were they wearing armor? Of different colors… Green, purple, red and the like?"

"You've heard of them, I see." The old man didn't seem surprised. "Yes, those are the ones… they dug nasty pitfalls in here, so you should watch your step. And they've been tampering with the geography of the cliff faces up above… landslides were always a danger here on Death Mountain, but now there are boulders tumbling down outside my home all day and all night. It's quite a disturbance… turn right here, please."

"I'll bet… things are bad in Hyrule right now." Link followed the old man's directions. "Those guys in armor, and the one who controls them, have been making things miserable for everybody."

"They are a pain… although they're not my real trouble." The old man sighed. "Months ago, the King of these lands asked for my daughter to visit him… to talk of me. The silly girl went… and I have not seen her since. I miss her greatly…" He glanced blearily at Link. "She was about your age, young man… perhaps a little older. I can't help but fear the worst for her… that she may have fallen victim to the evil sorcerer at the King's side…" Several things clicked in Link's mind at that point.

"You… know of Agahnim, then." Link inquired cautiously. "He's the one who controls the Knights now."

"Yes… he is plotting something wicked. Something to do with my daughter... and others her age. Another right here, please, young man…" He turned, and Link did as well. "…Are you here to look for the Golden Power, young man? For a gateway into the Sacred Realm? Before the Knights, those were the only people I saw up here. If you are… I beg you to turn back. Death Mountain contains such portals, yes… but they will only lead you to misery and strife. Many have gone through them, and none have returned… trapped forever in a land of nightmares. Do not follow them in their mad quest…"

"I won't." Link said firmly. Up ahead, he saw a glimmer of light from the tunnel's exit. "I don't want the golden power… or any portal leading closer to it. I'm here for something else… an artifact in the Tower of Hera, called the Pendant of Wisdom. And not for my own sake… I need it to rid Hyrule of Agahnim's curse."

"I see…" The old man murmured as they walked out of the tunnel. The sun was shining brightly on Death Mountain; they were more than fifty feet above Hyrule's ground level now, emerging onto the beginning of the pathway that would take Link up to the top. As the old man had warned, large boulders were tumbling down constantly only a short way ahead, beyond another cavern mouth, this one with a thatched overhang. The old man walked over to that, then turned to face Link. "Young man… I think your quest is in the right. I know… that my daughter is still alive, somewhere. I can feel it. As are the other girls. Some day… some one… will rescue them. This, I believe."

"Perhaps… it shall be so." Link smiled at him. "My name's Link… it was nice to meet you. And your name… it wouldn't, by any chance, be Morris, would it?" The old man was silent for a moment, and then he chuckled.

"Heh… heh heh. I talked too much… it seems. These are dangerous times, after all… there are people who would still like to see me dead. But you… I sense something different."

"I've got a couple Pendants you might be interested in-" Link started to say, but Morris waved him down.

"No, no… I am different from Sahasrala and Aginah. I look at what a man is, not what he possesses… and I see a great light in you, Link. A great strength… one that I think I can trust. I left the others, many years ago… perhaps it is time I returned to them. I have not many years in life left, after all, even if by natural causes I… well, that is of no moment. But my years in solitude have not been in vain, Link. I labored mightily, with all of my skill… and I created this. Follow me." He walked into the cave, and Link came along, curious. The old man's home was crude and simple; a few bits of wooden furniture and a couple of cots. Touching a bit of the wall, Morris pulled away a sheet of paper; it had been covered with some adhesive followed by grime and rocks to make it look like part of the cave wall. Behind it, hanging, was a beautiful crystalline mirror, reflecting back everything that was even dimly visible. Not a single scratch or scuff marred its surface, set in a blue-painted metal frame. As Link stared at it, he realized there was something else about the mirror. Nothing visible, but he felt… knew, somehow… that what he was seeing held great magical power.

"What… is it?"

"The Magic Mirror… an artifact that can penetrate the seal of the Sages." Morris smiled as Link jumped. "Worry not… I took care when creating it. It is one-way… if the holder of the mirror becomes trapped in the Dark World, gazing into the mirror will return them to the world of light… to Hyrule. But it can only be used by the pure of heart… by somebody who belongs in Hyrule. If the black hearted, the corrupt, attempt it… monsters who belong locked away in the world of nightmares… the mirror's light will only bring unimaginable pain to them. Link… it is yours. Take it… you shall need it." Link stared at him, then at the mirror.

"You'd trust this to me… even though I haven't yet…"

"I told you… I care not for Pendants." The old man's eyes twinkled. "That is not to say that I will not watch your progress… but this is yours now. Link… I went into my solitude to create this mirror because I felt it would be needed. I felt that a new Hero of Time would arise… you are him, Link, and I made this mirror for you, before I ever met you. Take it, I say, and then go onward." He looked outside. "The Knights are watching the trail carefully near here… however, they cease to do so beyond a certain point." He walked to the back of the cave and pulled back a tarpaulin that had been applied with the same treatment as the paper the covered the mirror, revealing another tunnel. "This passage will take you beyond that point. However… they have also blocked the path, near the top. It now ends at Spectacle Rock… beyond there, a landslide of rock and rubble impede the way to the Tower of Hera." Link slapped his face.

"So… there's no way up?"

"I didn't say that." Morris took the mirror off of the wall and handed it to him. "Remember what I did say… and don't be afraid to take risks to accomplish what you need. I may see you again… good luck until then." Link nodded.

"Thank you… good luck to you as well." Bowing, he walked into the tunnel. Unlike the other, there were no pitfalls, and so it was fairly easy though uphill going until he emerged on Death Mountain's surface again, near a sheer cliff with a rope and wood ladder that looked recently repaired. "Looks like the Knights wrecked this, and Morris repaired it… that's another one I owe him for." As he began climbing the cliff, the young warrior chuckled. "Really, I owe all three of those old men a lot… even that grump Aginah. And the others…" He fell silent. "One still missing… and the others dead. Quincy… I never knew him, and now I never will. But King Lucas… I haven't forgotten my promise. Before I kill Agahnim… I will use the Master Sword to lay you to rest. And Uncle Al… after the King sleeps, I'll fulfill my promise to you. Agahnim shall die. And Hyrule will be safe again…" He thought upon Morris' words. "But… as long as the six girls are in the Dark World… will it be? Even if Zelda isn't sent… others who serve the Evil King would come… before now, I never would have considered this, but… now that I have the Magic Mirror, and soon will have the Master Sword as well… think of such things later. Right now, I still have a job to do." Reaching the top of his climb, he whistled. "I'm even above the clouds now…" Below, Hyrule was barely visible in brief gaps through the puffy white forms. Link shuddered briefly.

"Good thing I don't have a fear of heights. I've got to be near the Tower now…" He turned and stared. "Whoa." He had been more correct than he'd thought; the mountain rose twenty feet more and then stopped, finally at its peak, although it stretched farther to the east; Link knew he had only covered the west side of the great landmark. Vertically, though, only two things rose above the top of the mountain. One was a relatively small rise, although still large enough for Link to stand on; it was shaped like a pair of spheres connected side by side. The other, north of that… was a monolith beyond Link's imagining. It was not as ancient as the Eastern Palace, nor the Desert Palace, but it still spoke of times long, long ago. Constructed of some odd green stone, a straight shaft rising hundreds of feet, defying the skies even further in addition to Death Mountain's own height… "The Tower of Hera. And that must be Spectacle Rock… Morris mentioned that." He thought back. "So did Sahasrala too, come to think of it… he said the first portal to the Dark World was here…" Walking a little ways further down the path, he saw something leaning against the rock. It was the ruined remains of what had once been a small house; five hundred years later, it had not stood the test of time as well as the Tower. "A family who fell in before the descendants at the time could save them…" He lowered his head, then blinked as something caught his eye. Crystals littered the ground; small, thin, transparent ones, circular in shape. Some were larger than others, but they were all basically of the same nature.

"Huh… so it's called Spectacle Rock for more than just the shape. This family was probably in the business of using these to make glasses… I have to wonder what kind of phenomena causes this…" Journeying further on, he found to his dismay that Morris had been right. Just beyond Spectacle Rock, the path turned north… and stopped at a huge blockade of rubble as tall as the cliffs on either side of it. "There's no way I can get through that… not even the bombs the guys at Kakariko gave me would be of any use. But… Morris gave me this mirror. Said I'd need it… to not be afraid of taking risks… did he mean…" His eyes widened. "The Dark World! There's a portal nearby… and the blockade wouldn't be there! But… to go to the Dark World…" Even after everything he had been through, Link's mind balked at that concept. "To the realm of the Forger of Power…" He straightened up. "…It'll be nasty, but if this mirror works… then I've no choice. I need that third Pendant… I'll go anywhere, even the Dark World if I have to, to get it." Looking around, he found a pile of heavy rocks like the ones blocking the back entrance of the Desert Palace. Hefting them with his gauntlets, he uncovered what he had been looking for; a square in the ground of shimmering blue energy. "This is it, then… there's no turning back. Here I go." He jumped onto the square, and the entire world went white… blindingly white, with no form or detail. And yet it moved… bended, shook, twisted unnaturally all around him, through him.

"Whoa…" Link gasped as he felt his own body shift and shimmer and warp… and then he was lying on his back, gasping, and staring up at a sky that was NOT above the clouds, but below them. The clouds were dark, as black as night, with torrents of rain falling from them, along with the occasional lightning bolt and peal of thunder. Looking around, Link shuddered; the mountain was grimmer as well, gray and rocky, all jagged edges. Even he himself felt different… strange… he reached a hand out to steady himself on the cliff, then stared at it in horror. It was NOT a hand. It was a paw… pink and furry, protruding from his tunic sleeve. "GAH!" Instinctively, Link scrambled for the Magic Mirror, then stopped himself. "No… it'll just take me back. Use my sword instead…" This proved easier said than done, with no thumbs to his name. Finally, he was able to grasp it between both paws. "Ugh… if an enemy comes along now, I'm SO dead. No way I'll be able to use this… oh, no…" His head was a sight beyond his worst fears; a pink bunny rabbit, with red eyes. "What the hell IS this… did the Dark World do this to me? Will it stick when I go back? If it does, when I get my hands on Morris… eh?" He glanced up at a noise, and saw… other things coming. Two of them. One was humanoid, even wearing clothes similar to his, but its skin was rough orange scales, and its head was that of a hideous troll, with a permanent ugly grin and a horn on the forehead. The other… was a round pink ball with feet and friendly-looking eyes. As Link stared, the troll kicked the ball, sending it flying through the air over his head.

"What you staring at, gal?" The troll demanded. "Something wrong?"

"Uh… no." Link shook his head. "Nothing's wrong… and I'm not… a lady." This only seemed to anger the troll further.

"Whaddaya want then, rabbit? Sheesh, if you're a guy than you've gotta be one heck of a wuss to end up looking like that!"

"You're one to talk, Brutus." The ball-creature was standing behind Link. "You're not exactly pleasant to look at yourself."

"That's it! Come here, you!" The troll yelled, chasing the ball around. Link only watched, silent, as he kicked the sphere again. "Ha! Got you that time!" He turned to Link again. "Lemme guess, you came here to get the golden power? Me too, but I got turned into a freak, and now I can't go back! What a gyp!" He grumbled, then snickered. "Still, better a freak than a bunny! Whoo, man! Wait'll the guys get a load of this!" He ran off, still cackling. Link turned to the pink ball, who was getting back on his feet again.

"Uh… you okay?"

"Oh, sure. He does this all the time." The ball seemed to shrug. "Doesn't hurt… I'm made of rubber or something now, I think. I'm Ballio… and you?" Link shrugged.

"The name's-"

"Hold it!" Ballio yelped. "Not your REAL name… don't EVER say that here. Most of the guys here… are bad. REAL bad… and they work for… HIM. The Forger." Link slowly nodded. "If THEY hear your real name… well, that's not a good idea. Magic and all that. So all us guys who don't side with them give ourselves new names for our forms."

"Good idea." Link nodded. "I'll come up with something, then."

"Cool." Ballio looked around. "I'm afraid you're stuck here… there's no way back. The portals are too weak for anybody but mindless beasts to go through the other way… that's good, of course, but it doesn't make things any easier for us. You get used to it, though."

"So… everybody here had their form changed in some way?" Link realized. Ballio nodded.

"You got it! It's the Golden Power… that effect was one of the things the Forger used it for. Your shape reflects what's in your heart and mind… I'm always changing my mind, opinions and outlook, so I turned into something that always bounces around. A rubber ball. There are worse forms." His eyes seemed to look like they were smiling; Link wondered how he talked without a mouth. "A rabbit, huh… I don't know. Brutus can say what he wants, but I figure it just means you're a nice guy underneath. If you want… I'll introduce you to some… friends of mine. They can probably help you out." Link thought about that.

"Maybe… and there's no way to change back?"

"Nope!" Ballio replied cheerfully. "This is you from now on! Oh, there's some old stories about an artifact back in Hyrule that protects you from the effect, but nobody pays any attention to that. It's not like any of us will ever get the… what did they call it… oh yeah, the Moon Pearl. So we might as well look to the future, ah? Brutus is a bit cranky, but he's really not so bad… come on, I'll introduce you to the other guys I know."

"All right." Link agreed. "Go on ahead… I'll follow you down. Just want to look around a bit more…"

"Sure! I'll wait for you at the bottom with Brutus!" Ballio waddled off. Link glanced at Spectacle Rock; neither the ruins of the house nor the crystals in the earth were there, but the rock itself was unchanged. And the Link saw the Tower, and his mind was overridden by a horrendously strong memory. Where a castle had once stood… now was a mile-wide pit of lava. And floating over it, on a chunk of levitating landmass that defied gravity… was a spire of terrifying proportions. A vertical fortress of black basalt, spikes and balconies and looming evil… a tower of darkness, a monument to one man whose colossal greed for power had conquered Hyrule. The Tower of Ganon, as his ancestor had seen it… and Link's vision faded back to the present, and he looked upon the structure that had caused the nightmarish recollection. It was fully as tall as the Tower of Hera, but barely any details could be seen about it, for it glowed with a radiant, prismatic energy barrier that covered it like a sheet. Even through that, however, Link sensed the darkness inside it… and the horrible strength. "Ganon's Tower… this is where the Evil King lurks…" Link shook off his stupor. "Then I need to get out of here NOW before he spots me!" The landslide was clear; the path led up to the tower. But Link did not go near it; he simply ran up to just beyond the narrow, blocked passage before taking out the Magic Mirror. "I hope this works…" He looked into the reflection, and saw not the Dark World, but the clear skies of Hyrule… and his own, normal, untransformed face. The world shimmered and grew bright like before, and he felt himself return back… and then he was gone, and nothing remained in the Dark World to tell that he had been there. Nothing… but the watching eyes of two denizens.

"Holy…" Brutus spat on the ground. "Did you just SEE that!"

"Yeah…" Ballio nodded slowly. "See, I was right… there WAS something up about that guy. Although to be honest, I never expected he could do THAT."

"You're telling me!" Brutus shook his head. "He went back to Hyrule, I bet… just like that! Man oh man!"

"Yeah…" Ballio wandered over and inspected the ground where Link had stood. "Nothing left… not a trace. What do we do?"

"Whattaya THINK, moron?" The troll yelled. "I'll stay here and watch the Tower, like we're supposed to… you get down offa this mountain and tell Handy and Neosquid about this."

"Right." Ballio turned away. "You're right… they've got to know. I'll see you later." He wandered off, and Brutus turned his gaze back upon the tower.

"Wonder if he's there… if he saw that too. Hope not… but can't tell. You can never tell with him… damn Ganon…"

"Well." Link grunted, looking around him at the familiar world of Hyrule. "That was certainly… interesting. Good thing I seem to have ditched the fur suit… although I still have this strange desire to eat a carrot." He shook his head. "So that's what the Dark World is like. I don't envy those people stuck there. Maybe I can do something to help them… not sure what, but… I'm getting sidetracked again. There's the Tower… eh?" His gaze shifted, drawn to something west of the tower. Death Mountain ended there, veering sharply downward, but a good ways down the slope a single spire stuck up, almost completely vertical. On top, the narrow piece of rock was only a few flat feet across, but a rope bridge connected the mountain on Link's current level to it, and standing there was a slab of green rock. Link looked back at the Tower, then sighed. "Might be worth checking this out. It'll only be a moment." He crossed the bridge carefully; to his surprise, it was not flimsy or shaky, but solid as rock, barely moving at all under his steps. The slab of green stone turned out to be covered in ancient Hylian writing. "Right, time for the Book of Mudora again… ugh. 'He who turnips over… triumphs over… grr. Holds power over… no, just holds… and up… He who holds up. Right, next part… the… Star Rod? Doubtful. Master Sword, that's better… shall hostile takeover… no. Shall gain the power of… Christmas? Easter? ETHER." He blinked. "Not that THAT makes much sense anyways… hm. But maybe somebody else knows… hey, Sahasrala! Sahasrala, you there?" Silence. "Come on, you old bat… this is important. I KNOW you're still tagging along." Silence for another moment, and then finally, the old man spoke.

"_All right, you've got me. But it's not that important. This is… where your ancestor left another of his artifacts… one of the most powerful, aside from the Master Sword. Thus, the Sword itself is necessary to gain the artifact… Ether is its name. And thus, right now you can't do anything here. So get going into the Tower, hm?"_

"Smart-mouthed old man…" Link grumbled, walking back around to the tower's entrance and heading inside. "Hm… I'm not going in on the ground floor. Stairs leading up to the second, at least… and this place looks like it's at least six stories high. Seems I'll be doing a lot of climbing today." The entrance floor of the Tower of Hera was one huge room; at the back, on left and right sides of the far wall, two doors sat. The one on the right held stairs leading up, while the one on the left led down. Neither was accessible, however, due to a bizarre barricade; a line of orange blocks five feet square with only inches of space between them, running east to west down the room's center. Similar-colored bases on the floor around each block indicated that they were attached to it, and could not be moved. "Okay, what the hell is this? Hey, something's moving back there…" On the other side of the barricade, two creatures prowled restlessly; brown centipede-like insects Link's size, with huge, spherical heads and similar-shaped body segments that decreased in size down to the tail. Link's eyes widened; he recognized them from a book his Uncle had shown him once.

"Moldorms!" The gigantic, carnivorous insects were supposed to only be found on select islands isolated out in the ocean, far away from Hyrule. "Only young ones… but still…" He shook his head. "How they got here doesn't matter. If I get over that barrier, they'll attack… and I have to get over it to go on. But how…" Scanning his side of the room again, Link saw something he had missed before; a switch attached to the floor, made out of a shining orange crystal. "Worth a shot… but first…" Even young Moldorms were reported to be fierce, and Link had no desire to confirm this first-hand. The spaces between the blocks were nowhere near wide enough to allow him, or them, through… but arrows from his bow fit easily. When both creatures had stopped twitching, he hit the switch and smiled as the barrier dropped. "Nice. Past the first step."

"Yes, but there is much more to come…" Morris said, stepping out of a shadowed corner of the room.

"YAH!" Link jumped what seemed like ten feet in the air. "Where'd you come from?"

"You ask this of a descendant of the Sage of Shadow? One whose bloodline contains the Sheikah, who were once the elite bodyguards of the royal family?" Morris chuckled. "I come and go as I please, young one… I told you I would be watching you. Now then… look carefully. You are not done here yet." Link scanned the room and groaned; in front of the doors leading on, BLUE blocks had now risen.

"Those weren't there before… wait." Link glared back at the crystal switch. As he had suspected, it was now blue as well. "Damn." He flipped it again, and as it turned orange, the blue blocks sank and the orange blocks rose. Growling, he flipped it back. "How do I manage this… if I make the blues go down, I can't get to… wait. I've got it." Walking beyond the sunken orange barrier, he turned and threw his boomerang at the switch. It hit and returned to him, bringing the orange barrier up and dropping the blue. "There. NOW I'm done here."

"Indeed you are… well done. Onward…" Morris backed up and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

"Hey, Sahasrala." Link said on a sudden thought. "You saw that, didn't you? Morris, I mean?"

"_Indeed… it is good to know he still lives. And also to know what he has been doing… so he had reason to absent himself from our fellowship after all."_ Sahasrala replied. "_I saw it all… even your journey to the Scared Realm. Most dangerous, Link… but the Magic Mirror truly is a masterwork. It, along with one other artifact, may indeed allow you to survive the Sacred Realm if circumstances dictate that you must go there."_

"So you've been considering that too…" Link realized. "This other artifact… is it, by any chance, called the Moon Pearl?"

"_Indeed it is… and it is inside this very Tower."_ Sahasrala explained. "_Unlike the Fairy Bow and Silver Gauntlets, it did not belong to your ancestor… MY ancestor, Rauru the Sage of Light, brought it with him when he fled the Temple of Light in the Golden Land. It may not aid you in defeating Agahnim… but seek it out nonetheless, just in case."_

"Got it." Link walked up to the two doors, then noticed a chest between them. It was not locked; inside it was a familiar-looking scrap of parchment. "A map. Hm… looks like I was dead-on. One floor below me, and four more above. Go down first… see what's there before heading skyward." The first room below held nothing, but the doors slammed shut as he entered. "Aw, no, not this again…" Backing into a corner, he raised both sword and shield, and was ready when the flying floor tiles started blasting his way. "Boy, am I glad Bronze Roger showed me how to deal with these…" When the barrage was finished, the door onward opened, and Link walked into a room with four unlit braziers in the corner. He sighed. "Same thing again as the Desert Palace…" Lighting them with his lantern caused a chest to appear in the room's center in a puff of smoke. Inside, as he expected, was a key. "I'll probably need this a few floors up… made a good move coming down here first." Turning around, he went back up to the second story and then on to the third. More monsters awaited him, but not Moldorms; instead, they were some type of land squid, with a main body consisting of a rubbery-looking blue sphere. One charged, and Link slashed at it… and the sword only made a slight cut in the body before bouncing off with such force as to launch Link back several feet as well.

"WHOA!" As he halted himself, the young warrior felt something behind him and turned. It was nothing… no floor, at least. He had stopped on the edge of a hole that would have dropped him back to the second floor. Shuddering, Link started to run forward, then stopped as an idea came to him. The squid charged again, and Link held his ground… but instead of slicing at it, he jumped aside at the last moment and watched the stupid creature tumble down the pit. "All right… best to do that with the rest of them, too. It'd take me all day to carve through whatever they're made of." Fortunately, the rest of the third floor was littered with similar pits, and Link was easily able to trick all of the squids into falling to their deaths. When he was done, he discovered that the next staircase up was indeed locked. "Time to use this key… and up we go."

"Indeed we do." Morris stepped out of another shadow. "You've done well so far, young one. Interesting trick with the pitfalls, by the way." He jumped into one, and Link resisted the urge to run over and look in after him.

"Show-off…" Muttering, he went up another floor. Immediately, more Moldorm larvae turned to face him. This time, there was nothing separating them; the insects charged, or at least tried to. Their actual movement was in loose, bending curves; something to do with their legs and the shapes of their bodies prevented them from traveling in straight lines, it seemed; but nevertheless, they were undoubtedly attacking. Drawing his sword, Link waited until all three were near, then unleashed the spinning blade strike that had defeated the last of the Armos Knights and Lanmolas. All three Moldorms were slain. "Seems I've got that down… good." The room was c-shaped; the northern part had been separated from the rest in a circular room. Walking around to the only break in the walls on the south side, Link saw that in there was a huge treasure chest. But between him and it was another gap in the floor, far too wide for him to even consider hurdling.

"The Moon Pearl… but I can't get to it, unless…" Dreading what he would see, he looked above the chest, and spotted the hole in the ceiling. "A pitfall on the fifth floor… oh, man." He sighed and walked up to said floor. More squids waited, including a red one that was even tougher than the blues, although no more cunning when it came to the trick Link used to dispose of them, making sure not to use the hole that he would have to drop down. "Might as well get this over with…" He carefully jumped down, feet first, and landed in front of the chest with a pained grunt. "Ugh… not as bad as I thought it'd be, but still no picnic. But at least I've got it." He opened the chest and carefully lifted out a perfect sphere of transparent, shimmering crystal as large as his fist. "The Moon Pearl… no more bunny time."

"Indeed not." Morris nodded from his position lounging against a wall. "That leaves only one, final trial… the last guardian of the Pendant of Wisdom. And you know what it is, don't you?" Link nodded grimly; he had seen the skull hanging on the wall above the stairs to the top floor before jumping down. A skull of a familiar beast from the tower.

"It's a Moldorm, isn't it… a fully grown one."

"Indeed." Morris nodded gravely. "It is fortunate that the females of the species do not grow to monstrous size, and that an adult male will kill any competitors, even its own children… else we would be overrun by the beasts."

"And now I have to kill said adult male. Well, I'm up for it." Link carefully dropped down to the third floor as well, then scaled the fourth and fifth again. As he was about to ascend to the final floor, he paused. "And one more thing. You, in there… ancestor. Hero of Time. If you can hear me… stay OUT of this one. I've got it covered… I can do it." There was, unsurprisingly, no response. "Guess that's the best I'm getting…" Walking up the stairs, Link looked upon the top floor of the Tower of Hera. The huge, circular room had a huge indentation in the center of the floor, dropping down to a lower level. An arena. The outer wall of most of this held a missing floor, dropping back down to the fifth floor; the only portion that was not was the south side, which led up to the center. And roaming there was the third guardian; a twenty-foot long centipede of spherical olive-green body parts, covered with tiny, endlessly moving legs. The head was eight feet across, with two madly rolling red eyes attached to it; the smallest segment at the end of the tail, still as large as Link's head. The Moldorm buzzed angrily as it saw Link, but was unable to scale the walls to get to him.

"Don't worry, big guy… I'M coming to YOU." Link promised, jumping down into the arena. The Moldorm immediately charged, and Link struck… uselessly, as his blade scraped off of the green carapace without so much as scratching it. "Armored! Damn!" He swiped at the eyes, but the tiny targets were impossible to hit with how erratically the thing moved. Link found himself on the defensive, scrambling around to avoid its charges. Even a glancing blow, when blocked by his shield, sent him flying. "Oof…" The boomerang proved equally ineffective, as did his arrows. Even the Ice Rod's magic failed to phase the tank-like beast. "What else do I have… magic powder, that's no good… bombs!" He pulled one of the explosive spheres the Kakariko Villagers had given him out of the pouch on his belt and lit the fuse. "Maybe I can hurt the underside…" Seconds before it exploded, he tossed the bomb in the Moldorm's path. Ignoring it, the beast ran it down and continued on… and the buzzing rose to a shriek a moment later, when the fiery explosion rocked it from underneath. "YES! I hurt it… huh?" But the Moldorm was not trailing blood from its underside. The wound was in the last segment of the beast's tail, which Link now noticed was pink, not green… and not armored.

"Ha! NOW I remember… the only weak point of an adult male Moldorm is the last segment of its tail!" The Moldorm did not seem to care unduly about its injury; it simply charged him as before, twisting and turning. As it was about to hit him, Link turned in the opposite direction from its curving path. The entire body shot past him, and as he passed the weak point, Link's sword slashed out. Again the tail spouted blood, and again the Moldorm continued regardless. "It's too stupid to realize what's happening to it… ha! I can win this!" The next time the massive insect charged, Link repeated his previous maneuver; but as the tail flashed by he gave chase, stabbing and slashing. Once, twice, three times he hit… and then the buzzing became a roar, and the Moldorm whirled around, eyes flashing. "Oops… or maybe it just figured it out!" Bellowing, the monster began thrashing around wildly, insanely, not even aiming for him any more… but at double the speed. It was a rampaging, blind engine of destruction, smashing anything in its path… and the only thing available was Link. And yet… he was not afraid.

_I've got this._ The young warrior thought as the Moldorm raged around him. _I'm not in danger. I don't need help. This thing is MINE… I can deal with it by myself! I'm not just a young punk any more… I've passed two trials with your aid, and the third… I WILL prove myself by! I can't just be a shadow of you… Agahnim is my duty, and I have to wield the Master Sword with my own ability to destroy him! You were the Hero of Time… and I WILL show myself to be worthy of your legacy!_ Link charged the Moldorm, head-on, running down the length of its body, ignoring the blows as it twisted and turned into him, slamming him repeatedly. He kept going, reaching the tail… and as he brought his sword down at its base, an image hit his brain… but not like before. There was no absence of control, no overriding feeling of another in his body… simply remembering Gohma, a massive insect like this, whose weak point had been her single eye. That eye had been the core of her entire body… on most creatures, it was not a vital point, but Gohma's entire body had crumbled and died with the loss of the orb. And as Link's blade severed the tail orb from the Moldorm's body, he knew the same held true here. The tail orb flew off, into the chasm surrounding them, but the rest of the centipede's body froze, motionless… and then, one at a time, the other segments flew off as well, blasted apart by a series of explosions that rocked the creature's body until only the head remained… and then that too exploded in a spray of disgusting slime. Link simply stood, watching this, untouched by the gore. And when it was done, he turned and caught the Pendant of Wisdom in his hand as it dropped from the ceiling. Ruby red, it sparkled in his hand, identical to the other two.

"I did it… all three Pendants are mine."

"So they are…" Morris agreed, unfolding himself from the wall he had been leaning against. "Very impressive, young man… hm."

"And I did it without my ancestor chipping in… I managed it myself." Link grinned. Morris raised an eyebrow, then nodded.

"Well… yes, I suppose so, hm… so. I take it you would like to ask me for the hospitality of my cave tonight?" Link's grin turned slightly sheepish.

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all." Morris smiled as well. "And then?"

"Tomorrow, I'll make a quick stop at the Sanctuary… and then I'm off to get the Master Sword." Link decided. "Tomorrow evening… I kill Agahnim. And after that… well… we'll see what happens after that."

"Indeed we will." Morris agreed. "Now let's get out of here, young man, and get back to my humble home… you've got a big day tomorrow." Link nodded.

"Understatement of the century, my friend."

A single Knight of Hyrule entered the room at the top of Hyrule Castle Tower, faint traces of light glittering off his golden armor. His steps were not hesitant like his predecessor, Sir Remos; the magic controlling his mind had grown to the point that all traces of fear and uncertainty were erased, even though the news he brought was not good. His master, the wizard Agahnim, stood at the back of the last room, gazing out through the glass wall at Death Mountain.

"Report, Sir Kolak." Agahnim spoke without turning. The new Commander of the Knights saluted.

"Sir… no luck so far, sir. We have been unable to locate either the Princess Zelda nor the youth Link, or any of the remaining elders. However, our men on Death Mountain report that they have not seen hide nor hair of Link."

"All that means is that he's managed to slip past without them even seeing him, dolt." Agahnim's fist clenched. Kolak did not respond. "Hmph… very well. Call back the troops… all of them. And tell them to be ready to go tomorrow… tomorrow, _I_ shall lead you out. Dismissed."

"Sir." Kolak saluted again, turned and departed. Agahnim did not speak again for several minutes; he simply extended his will and his mind, reaching out to the north, to the mountain he gazed upon. To the green tower atop it, the tower in such a familiar location to him. Inside, he felt the savage, bestial life form that had been there before missing… gone. No trace of it was left… nor was there a trace of the accursed stone that had ejected his searching mind from the tower the last time he had done this.

"So, he does have it…" Agahnim hissed. "Then I can no longer afford to wait. I was foolish to give these dolts even one chance to act on their own… overconfidence on my part. After collecting the other six so quickly, I assumed this latest development would be only a momentary setback, and let them handle it without me… and it looks Hyrule's Knights haven't increased the standards on their intelligence requirements at all in all these years. At least my REAL lieutenants know how to keep enemies on the run…" The glass wall darkened again, and once more showed the deep, damp watery underworld.

"Master?" Arrghus stirred. "Is that you again?"

"It is." Agahnim confirmed. "Things aren't going too well here, Arrghus… but never mind that. How are YOU doing?"

"Me? Well, I'm just keeping things running…" Arrghus thought for a moment. "But the others are doing good, boss!"

"Oh?" Agahnim raised an eyebrow. "Continue."

"Mothula's work has been going great!" Arrghus bubbled. "Her latest attempt actually lived for more than a day! She says she should be able to complete the final project in less than a month!"

"Well, now." Agahnim's eyes lit up. "THAT's music to my ears… we'll need that one soon. Tell Mothula she has my congratulations… and the others?"

"Vitreous completed his renovations…" Arrghus continued. "Misery Mire is now completely sealed off from the rest of the Golden Land… except for yourself, of course, boss! Even Kholdstare's been behaving; I managed to talk him into accepting the sixth girl! Everything's good here, boss; don't worry about us! We'll all be ready when you're done! Well, I'll see you-"

"Not so fast." Agahnim cut her off. "There's still one more you haven't mentioned… and your manner leads me to believe that it was deliberate. What's going on with Blind?" In the darkness, Arrghus squirmed.

"Well… uh… you know the Palace of Darkness, boss? In the east? You know how the King Helmasaur's in there with one of the girls?"

"I do." Agahnim nodded calmly.

"Well, then… you know how it used to be the Temple of Light before you took it over? How it used to be where the… you know… met?" Agahnim nodded again.

"I do."

"Yeah, okay…" Arrghus' voice grew shrill. "You… you know how…it has some ultra-secret mechanism that completely seals the front door? So securely that none of us can break in? And how you, in your infinite wisdom, have to know how to open it again of course? And just didn't tell us about it? Right?"

"…" This time, Agahnim was silent. He didn't speak, but his eyes said everything… eyes that were burning with rage.

"I… guess you don't." Arrghus whimpered. "Sorry, boss… the King and the girl are still in there, but nobody can get in or out."

"Let me guess." Agahnim covered his face with one hand. "It was our little troublemakers, correct? Blind wasn't watching them when they got near the Palace of Darkness, and somehow they figured that out before he could stop them."

"Yeah… pretty much." Arrghus admitted. "He's, uh… he's really sorry, boss. REALLY sorry."

"You've got that right." Agahnim sighed. "Tell Blind he will be maimed for this. His head, I think." In the darkness, some unidentifiable feature winced.

"He's not gonna like that, boss… he's real proud of his latest one."

"Then he shouldn't have messed up then, should he?" Agahnim sneered. "He's lucky the Palace is otherwise undisturbed, or I'd be taking more than one. Ah, well. Continue your current business, Arrghus… with luck, I shall be retuning shortly. Be ready. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir!" Arrghus saluted as the glass wall faded away, back to showing Death Mountain. Agahnim sighed.

"Back to the matter at hand, then… I must do what my Knights could not, and successfully calculate where the Princess would be hiding. Enough overconfidence. I've been thinking incorrectly… getting too far into my role. Thinking like Agahnim, instead of like myself. Now… now, I think like the REAL me." His eyes darkened as he thought about the problem. "Where would a Princess… no. Wrong. That's the kind of thinking the Knights would do… and that's why they failed. Think of her as… HER." Agahnim's lips curled upward in a smile. "Where would the last descendant of the Sage of Time hide…" The smile widened. "Why… she would hide in the same place… that the Sage of Time herself hid. The Temple of Time." His eyes brightened. "Tomorrow, then… the day of destiny shall be tomorrow. The day I've waited so, so long for… the day those two, both of them… the day they PAY, for what they did to me. Link, Zelda… you think you are so different now… but I recognize you. I see you… I know YOU. And you shall regret having crossed me…"


	7. Chapter 6: Are Doomed To Repeat Them

**_Chapter 6: Are Doomed To Repeat Them_**

"And so, it all came down to these." Link sighed, dangling the three pendants from his fingers. "Three ancient dungeons, three old men, three trials, three deadly guardians… well, okay, technically TEN deadly guardians… and here we have them. The Pendants of Courage, Power and Wisdom… created from sacred stones, for the purpose of bringing the Master Sword back into the world."

"The Kokiri's Emerald, Zora's Sapphire and Goron's Ruby…" Father Brian was transfixed by the pendants. "I never imagined that I would see even one of them within my lifetime, let alone all three."

"They're nice, I'll admit… but really, they're just a means to an end, aren't they, Link?" Zelda guessed. "They're for one purpose… getting the Master Sword. The Sword is what's important… that's all you need them for."

"Harsh, but true." Link sighed, putting the Pendants in his pack once more. "Correct… I need the Master Sword, and now I think I'm ready for it. With it, I can finally destroy Agahnim… he's the first priority."

"The… first?" Zelda blinked. "What do you mean, the first? Are there other things you need the Sword for after him?"

"Maybe." Link grunted. "For now, though, I concentrate on Agahnim… the wizard is what I need to worry about now."

"You have a plan, I hope." Father Brian looked a bit worried. "You weren't planning on just charging the front gates, were you?"

"Give me SOME credit." Link smirked. "I stopped by the Hyrule Graveyard on my way back from Death Mountain and found something interesting there… a grave out in the open, with the name of King Gerard III on it."

"So? Kings die just like all of us." Father Brian frowned.

"But when they do, they're interred in a crypt beneath the castle." Zelda explained. "And that's not all… there IS no King Gerard the III. The last King Gerard was the second… that grave must be… fake…" Her eyes widened. "Link, you didn't…"

"No, I didn't dig it up." Link assured her. "I don't even have the tools for such a thing. But I did examine the headstone… and I discovered it moves rather easily, like the ornamental shelf in the throne room. A hole underneath it leads down to the other side of that collapsed passage in the secret underground tunnels… a path which I've already cleared out with a couple well-placed bombs."

"I get it." The Princess smiled. "You figure any Knights still down there will have expanded their search past that point already, and you'll pass them up by going in through the graveyard… and have a clear path into the throne room."

"Exactly." Link nodded. "Once I have the Sword, I'll be going in there. At the same time, Sahasrahla, Aginah and Morris have agreed to launch a feint on the front gates as a distraction. When I come in through the throne room… first, I'll be able to lay your father to rest as promised." Zelda nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "And after that, I'll head straight for the tower. As soon as I'm in there, the old guys only have to keep any Knights from following me up and hitting me from behind until I've dealt with Agahnim once and for all."

"A workable plan." Father Brian approved. "When will it commence?"

"In only a few hours… I just stopped by here to update you guys, and now I'm off to draw the sword." Link stood up. "In only a few hours, Hyrule will be free once more. I'll be back here tonight with Agahnim's head… I'll see you both then." He turned and walked out, closing the Sanctuary gates behind him. As he did, his eyes narrowed; somebody was standing out on the path, watching him. Fortunately, it did not seem to be a Knight, just an ordinary man.

"Hey, Link!" The passerby waved. "Don't worry, I won't rat you out to the Knights! See yas!" Link slowly waved back.

"Another Kakariko Villager? Don't remember him… ah well, at least he wasn't a Knight…" He muttered, then jumped as the doors swung open behind him. "Huh? Zelda, what…"

"Link." She cut him off. "Before you go… tell me. What do you plan to do after Agahnim's death? You can't fool me that easily… you have some sort of plan to continue the fight."

"…Heh. You don't miss a beat, do you." Link gave in. "It's the other descendants of the Sages… the ones who have already been sent over. I only knew two of them, but none of them deserve that… and on top of that, as long as they remain in Ganon's power, the threat wouldn't truly be over."

"So you're going to go in THERE? To the Dark World?" Zelda demanded. "Even your ancestor… the Hero of Time… and all seven Sages together… even they couldn't kill Ganon! And you're going to try?"

"No… I'm not into suicide. Strictly a rescue mission." Link explained. "I told you about the Magic Mirror… showed it to you. With that, I can bring them back… and bail myself out at any moment if Ganon himself shows up. If he's got them all at his center of power, then that'll be a problem… but there's a chance he hasn't, and the only way to find out is to go look." Zelda shook her head.

"It's still too dangerous… who knows what kind of monstrosities Ganon's created to do his bidding? Even if you have the Master Sword… nobody's luck lasts forever, Link. We don't even know if they're still alive… for all we know, Ganon might have killed them as soon as they crossed over. Isn't stopping Agahnim enough? Isn't saving Hyrule enough for us, Link?"

"No… it's not." Link turned to look directly into her eyes. "Because Hyrule WON'T be safe… because we DON'T know if the Forger's killed them. I have to go and find out… and if they're alive, I HAVE to bring them back. What if the barrier's weakening already, Zelda… not enough for him to come through himself, sure… but what if he sends more minions, just as strong as Agahnim, here for you? I won't let that happen, Zelda. I can't."

"That's… why?" Zelda whispered.

"Part of it." Link admitted. "I won't lie and say that's the only reason that matters… I want to save Hyrule as well, and to rescue as many of those girls as possible. But part of it… yes. Because you won't be safe until I do that. And I won't stop until Agahnim… until Ganon… until none of their ilk can ever get to you again." He sighed. "Go back inside… it's still not safe for you to be visible. A Knight could come by at any time." He turned to leave, then paused as a hand grabbed his arm. "What…" And then Zelda kissed him, suddenly and silently, pulling him to her in a fierce embrace. Moments passed… moments that felt like years… and then she pulled away from him.

"Link… just don't die. Come back to me… after Agahnim, and after everything else you feel you have to do. I'll wait for you… for as long as you need to keep fighting, I'll wait for you. Just return to me." The doors of the Sanctuary slammed behind her, and Link stood there, thoughts a blur.

"…I will." He vowed, even though she had already left. "I promise… I will." Turning, he walked north and west, towards the Lost Woods… towards the Master Sword. For once, no Knights barred his way… not even a single Green was sighted as he headed towards his goal. When he entered the forest, however, somebody else was there to greet him.

"Yo, kid!" The average, nondescript middle-aged man grinned.

"Bronze Roger." Link nodded to him. "I see you decided to come back to your gang after all."

"Just for a while." Roger shrugged. "I'll probably leave again sooner or later… maybe after Agahnim's toast."

"If that's the case, it'll be a REAL short reunion." Link chuckled as the two of them walked through the forest. "I'm killing him tonight." Roger blinked.

"Whoa… you serious? I shoulda known THAT'S what you're here for… you're gonna draw the Sword, aren't you?"

"That I am." Link nodded. "And then… well, you already know what I plan to use it for. I've even got a battle plan set up… old man Aginah and two of his friends are going to storm the castle as a distraction while I slip in."

"No kidding?" The thief's eyes glittered. "Well then, they won't be alone. Me and my boys'll stand with them, Link… we'll buy you all the time you need to take the wizard's head." Link grinned.

"Count on you not to want to miss out on the fight… thanks, Rog. I owe you one."

"Well, there IS this ring in the royal family's treasury I've heard about… joking, joking!" Roger laughed. "Ah, you already know the way to go, I see. Yeah, it's in here."

"I've been here twice… both times, I didn't have what I needed." Link said quietly as the two of them stepped into the Grove of the Master Sword. "But this time… I'm ready." Bronze Roger stopped and stood at the entrance, watching quietly, as Link walked towards the altar. It hadn't changed one bit; pedestal, alter and podium all stood there silently, with the hilt of the sword sticking out above the last. Opening his pack, Link drew out the three Pendants. "The Hero's triumph, on cataclysm's eve, wins three Pendants of Virtue. Courage… Power… Wisdom… representing the three pieces of the Triforce." Stepping up onto the podium, he placed the three Pendants into the sockets. As each one touched the indentation, it began glowing with an unearthly light… a light that also filled the Master Sword as the last one locked into place. Link's face remained as calm as ever as he walked around to the back of the pedestal. "The Master Sword, he will then retrieve… keeping the Knights' line true." He placed one hand on the sword. "Weapon of my ancestor… Hyrule needs you once more. Awaken again… and strike down this evil that has cursed our land!" With a steely rasp, the Master Sword slid out of the stone as easily as if it was being drawn from a simple sheath, and as it did, the light filling it exploded over the entire clearing, blinding the watching Bronze Roger. When the thief's eyes cleared, he saw Link, standing on the podium, holding the Master Sword over his head… and at the same time, another Link, only ten years old but with eyes that spoke of even more experience than the young warrior Roger had known. And on the back of his right hand… on both their hands… was an emblem of three triangles forming a pyramid. One of those triangles was glowing with a golden light.

"Link… who… what are you?" Roger whispered.

"I… am Hyrule's arm. A great evil has come to our lands… it is my task to drive it out." Link replied, eyes locked upon the sword he held above his head. "Me? I am just a mortal man… but this… this Master Sword is something different. This will allow me to slay even Agahnim."

"Indeed it shall." Sahasrala's voice filled the clearing suddenly, and Roger turned to see the three old men standing behind him. "This is extraordinary, Link… you've done it. You have taken up the sword of evil's bane… and like all evil, Agahnim's magic shall be reflected from it. Hyrule's destiny is in your hands now." Aginah and Morris nodded in agreement. "Contact us when ready… we shall make our preparations for the assault. We're counting on you now, Link." And then the old men were gone as silently as they had come.

"…" Link stepped down from the podium. "Hmph… I don't have anywhere to put this. My sheath's already occupied… maybe I should make a quick stop by my house to drop my uncle's sword off."

"Phew…" Roger seemed to relax a bit. "Still the same old Link, I see… I was worried for a moment that you'd be… well…"

"No, I'm still me." Link assured him. "The sword couldn't change me that much… but it has changed me some, no question about-"

"_Link!"_ Zelda's voice screamed inside his head. "_Help, Link! Agahnim's here… he's come to the Sanctuary! He's found us!"_

"_Hold on, Zelda!"_ Link thought back. "_I've got the sword! I'm coming! Just hold him off for a few minutes!"_

"What is it?" Roger demanded, seeing his face. "What's wrong, boss?"

"Agahnim's found the Princess!" Link growled, breaking into a run for the edge of the forest. "That guy I saw outside… he must have been a Knight without his armor on! I've got to get to Sanctuary to help her!"  
"Sanctuary! So that's where she is…" Roger's eyes widened. "Right! I'll get the boys and we'll follow you… don't argue, he might have brought Knights too! You just get there as fast as you can… we'll be right behind you!"

"Right…" Link ran faster. "Just hold on, Zelda… hold him off…"

"Only a few hours…" Zelda muttered to herself. "A few hours to go… and then my father will be avenged… Hyrule will be saved… and this nightmare shall end."

_But it won't really end, will it?_ Part of her thought. _Link won't let it end… he'll go to the Dark World. Agahnim was only the beginning… I've known this. Known it ever since the nightmares started coming. _Zelda shivered. She had meant to tell Link about that, but somehow it had never seemed the right time to talk about how the nightmares had grown worse… until they came in the daytime as well, when she was simply sitting around the Temple of Time… The SANCTUARY, she corrected herself fiercely. It was called the Sanctuary now. All she could do was wait there… and yet, her instincts told her, more and more, that she should not be. Something inside her yearned to be out there, fighting by Link's side… and worse, the feeling didn't seem new. It was like she had done so before, like it was old behavior beckoning her to repeat itself… but she had never done any such thing. And when she DID sleep, the nightmares were worse… although the one of being trapped within the crystal was the worst, it was now accompanied by another almost as bad. The man who had imprisoned her in the first nightmare, tumbling off into an endless white void… his face twisted, horribly contorted with hatred as he shouted curses upon her, upon Link, upon the Sages…

"Princess!" Father Brian yelled, jolting her out of her thoughts. The old man had been sweeping out front; now, he had slammed the doors behind him. "Princess, you must flee into the passageways! The Knights of Hyrule… they're here!" Zelda jumped to her feet.

"A curious patrol? Surely you can tell them off?"

"No, princess…" Father Brian shook his head. "NOT a patrol… all of them! There must be hundreds of them there!" Zelda's eyes widened in shock.

"All of them… then this isn't just a check. They know I'm here… let's go, then. I can collapse the passage behind us, to buy us some…" She paused, then muttered a very un-princessly word as she heard the dull thumps of explosions from nearby underground. "No! They've already thought of that… THEY'RE collapsing the passage!"

"Then… what do we do?" Father Brian wailed. "We're doomed!"

"No…" Something glittered in Zelda's eyes. "No, we're not. Link's gone to get the Master Sword… he'll be back soon. And they've made a major tactical error…" She pointed at the doors of the Sanctuary. "Unless all those boys out there have brought a LOT of REALLY strong explosives, they can only get in one at a time through there… and they have to take me alive, which means they can't shoot me or bomb me. I'll have to hold that door until Link gets back."

"Y… you?" Father Brian stared at her. "You're… going to fight them?"

"Indeed I am." Zelda walked towards the door. "My father taught me everything he knew… and I've stayed out of this fight long enough." She slammed both doors open and glared out at the array of Knights before her. All five orders… Green, Purple, Red, Black and Gold… stood arranged before her in a warped parody of a respectful presentation. One Knight in gold walked out in front of all the others and bowed to her.

"Princess Zelda… I am Commander Kolak. We've come to escort you back to the castle."

"I believe the normal response is 'you and what army' but I see that you've already planned ahead for that. Well done." Zelda replied coolly. "However, I don't see that it will do you much good… I have no intention of returning to the castle."

"Ah." Kolak stood. "Then I am afraid we shall have to coerce you. I regret the necessity, but…"

"But if you don't, Agahnim will make you eat your own head." Zelda finished, smirking. "And he COULD, probably. Somehow. Well then… why don't you try?" Kolak slowly drew his blade.

"If you insist… then I shall subdue you myself! I appreciate your bravery, but a single unarmed girl against the Commander of the Knights is a forgone conclusion!" Running forward, he lunged at her with a swing aiming the flat of his blade at her head. At the moment he came within arm's reach of her, however, he saw her face… and the strange light in her eyes.

"I am sorry for this… but you are already lost." Faster than the Commander's eyes could track, Zelda's right hand whipped out and grabbed his face, crackling with blinding white energy. Kolak had time for one agonized scream that trailed off into a feeble whimper as his armor fell off, aged and corroded… and beneath it, in the space of a few seconds, his body underwent a similar process, becoming an ancient, withered husk that fell to the ground, stone dead. As he crumbled further into dust, Zelda suddenly felt a massive surge of power to the northwest. _Link… he's drawn the sword. _The Knights of Hyrule stared, awestruck, as the Princess glared over them all. "Forgone indeed…" She displayed the back of her hand, revealing the symbol that had appeared there… three triangles forming a pyramid, one of which was glowing golden. "I am the last descendant of the Sage of Time… mortal men stand no chance against me."

"G… get her!" The Captain of the Black Order yelled to the other three Captains. "All four of us at once!" Yelling, they drew their swords as well, and charged the door. Zelda held her ground, and as their blades came down, her hand snaked out like a whip, lightly slapping each of them across the face in turn. One, two, three, four times she struck… and the four Captains fell, withering and aging like Kolak had.

"I can hold this doorway as long as I need to." Zelda proclaimed to the fearful Knights. "You cannot attack me in numbers that I cannot match, here… and long before I tire, the Hero of Time shall return with the Master Sword. He comes, even now… run, and perhaps you shall live to see the sunset." There was a stirring in the Knights… and then their numbers parted, to reveal one man standing in the middle.

"Impressive, Princess… but I don't think it's my servants who need to worry about that." Agahnim smiled wickedly. Zelda paled.

"You!" _Agahnim… no! _Thinking quickly, she sent out a psychic message to the northwest. "_Link! Help, Link! Agahnim's here… he's come to the Sanctuary! He's found us!"_

"_Hold on, Zelda!"_ Link's reply pleaded. "_I've got the sword! I'm coming! Just hold him off for a few minutes!"_ Zelda turned back to Agahnim.

"You've come yourself, then… you have a lot to answer for, traitor." The sorcerer's grin widened.

"Did you really think I expected these amateurs to bring you down in a fair fight? It was amusing watching you dispose of those five, but I am afraid I am on a tight schedule. Time to come with me."

"Come and get me, you filth." Zelda snarled. Agahnim shrugged and began waving his hands, chanting under his breath. Between the palms, a sphere of glowing energy formed, and then was launched like a missile at the princess. Even as it flew out, however, Zelda was moving forward as well. Stretching her left hand out, she grabbed the energy sphere out of the air and squeezed it, dissolving it like a deflating balloon… and at the same time, she closed with Agahnim.

"Ho ho! Daring!" The wizard's own hands shot out at her, but Zelda turned to the right, spun around the arm and slammed her right palm into Agahnim's shoulder.

"Got you!" White energy crackled and flared around the arm, and the Knights watched, stunned… and nothing happened. Moments passed, and then Agahnim turned his head to face her, smiling triumphantly. Zelda had gone pale. "You… it didn't work? What ARE you!"

"I… am beyond time's grasp." Agahnim purred, stretching both hands out towards her... revealing the back of his right hand, where the same symbol on her own glowed just as brightly. Zelda shrieked as a lightning bolt slammed through her body like a lance, and then crumpled, unconscious. "Well, then… time to return-UH!" There was a sickening crack as a metal candlestick smashed into the side of his head, sending him to the ground beside the fallen princess. Father Brian stared at the bloody implement, then down at the Wizard. Agahnim's head was twisted nearly upside down, his neck completely snapped.

"You… monster. Hyrule… has no need… for one such as you." The old priest panted, breathing heavily… and then he stared, dropping the candlestick in shock, as Agahnim stood back up.

"This IS a day for surprising heroes…" The wizard whispered, mouth moving impossibly. "And yet… all in vain. Time is powerless against me… do you think Death can do any more?" The ancient priest stepped back, shaking, as Agahnim hurled an energy orb into his chest that slammed him all the way back into the rear wall of the Sanctuary, where he bounced off and crumpled to the floor. Sneering, Agahnim reached up, grabbed his head and realigned it properly, ignoring the cracks and snaps, then bent down and picked up the defeated Princess. "Back to the castle, you useless cretins… we have to prepare for a guest who will be knocking on our doors very shortly." Shaking like leaves at what they had just witnessed, the Knights saluted, turned and began marching away, with Agahnim bringing up the rear, carrying the fallen Zelda effortlessly.

"I'm here!" Link yelled, ignoring the scraps of armor outside and throwing the doors of the Sanctuary open. "Zelda? Father Brian? Where are… oh, no… Goddesses, no…" He ran over to the back of the room, where Father Brian's body lay. As Link bent over him, the ancient priest's eyes attempted to focus on him.

"Link…?"

"I'm here, father." Link assured him. "What happened?" He immediately saw that Brian did not have long; the scorched wound in his chest and broken bones from some impact spoke clearly on that matter. Not even Syrup's medicine could save him.

"Link… only a second too late…" Brian groaned. "I… have failed, Link. In my duty to Hyrule… and to Zelda. She fought well… but Agahnim is… a demon, Link. He cannot be killed… by mortal means. She was taken to the castle… and I… left here to die."

"You're…" Link searched for something to say. "Father, you're not…"

"I know… I was too old, I had no business in combat… but I had to try." The old priest smiled wanly. "I'm sorry, Link… you're the only one… who can. Quickly, now… to the castle tower. The secret passage is destroyed… you'll have to go in another way. Go now… before Agahnim works his magic on her… and sends her to his master… stop him… Link." Brian exhaled one last time, and his eyes closed. Link was motionless for a moment… and then he stood.

"_Sahasrala."_ He thought. "_Change of plans. I'm blowing the roof off of the castle. You and the others just get there as soon as you can to keep them from following me up the tower."_

"_What? Link, what happened!"_ Sahasrala demanded.

"_Agahnim took Zelda, that's what!"_ Link yelled back, dashing out of Sanctuary. "_There's no time for subtlety any more. Anybody who gets in my way now DIES."_

The trip to Hyrule Castle was nothing but a blur in his memory; before he knew it, he was standing at the bridge across the moat. The castle loomed in front of him, even more menacing than it had seemed when he had first infiltrated it, what seemed like a lifetime ago. But this time, he was not afraid… all thoughts, all emotions, had been erased and replaced by one dreadful, burning mission. As he walked up to the bridge, Link heard a rustling behind him, and turned around. A Knight of the Red, hiding in the brush behind him, was throwing a trident. Deflecting the weapon with his shield, Link did not make a single noise as he lopped the unlucky man's head off. Strangely, not a drop of blood stained the Master Sword; its blade remained bright and clean. Not really noticing, Link turned back to the castle, where he saw at last the forces arranged against him. On the bridge itself, a line of Red Knights… beyond them, standing in the open gateway, a line of Purples… and further back, in the courtyard, one more line of Greens. On top of the castle battlements were four Reds, one at each corner, holding caches of bombs.

"The Blacks and Golds must be inside." Link guessed. "If I take my time, those bombers will blast me… so I won't." Growling, he launched himself forward with every ounce of speed the Pegasus Boots could muster. The Reds were momentarily startled by his seemingly suicidal charge, and that was all he needed; with one broad sweep, the Master Sword chopped their tridents in half, and the next sweep took their heads, passing through all four effortlessly. The Purples were just as unprepared; when Link burst through the bodies of their comrades without stopping at all, they did not raise their swords, and like the Reds, their heads flew. The last line of Greens, hearing the screams of the Reds, had enough time to raise their weapons protectively… and Link blasted through them, breaking down the castle doors in his furious charge. The Greens turned to stare after him… as the bombs thrown by the confused rooftop Reds landed on the ground where they had expected Link to halt. Among the Greens.

"Thought they'd do that…" Link grinned viciously as he heard the explosions and screams outside. "Right… up to the roof." As he turned to the left, he paused; the King's skeleton would undoubtedly still be in the throne room. "Damn… I know I made a promise, your majesty… but I can't. Not now… I have no time. Your daughter needs me… forgive me." He turned to leave… then froze as he heard a twisted voice from the door to the throne room.

"_Why Link… I'm shocked. Shocked and appalled."_ Grinning horribly, the reanimated skeleton of King Lucas walked into the grand hall. "_Breaking a solemn vow… whatever would your dear Uncle Albert think?"_

"Damn you, Agahnim…" Link hissed, turning to face the foe. "You gave it a voice… and made it wait for me."

"_Agahnim gave me nothing but death…"_ The skeleton hissed. "_Death, and eternal pain… until you came. Free me, Link… release me from this agony! I am still master of this castle, and until you relieve me of that, you shall not enter the Tower!"_

"You lie… you're nothing more than a puppet. But it seems I have no choice." Link held up the Master Sword. "I'll finish you quickly!" He charged, and the skeleton's empty sockets glowed. As he neared it, the bony fingers clawed at him… but Link was already attacking, spinning around in the whirling blade technique. The skeleton was silent once more as both arms were sent flying completely off by the force of the blow, and then followed by the head. Not stopping for a second, Link pulled out a bomb, lit it and then shoved it into the neck hole of the King's robes. As he moved towards the flying skull, the explosion behind him completely incinerated most of the bones; and as a last touch, the young warrior drove the Master Sword through the skull, splitting it in half.

"It is done." Link muttered as he turned and ran towards the roof. "You can sleep, majesty… now all that is left is to avenge you, and save your daughter." He was unsurprised to hear another voice in his head following this statement.

"_Thank you… Link, nephew of my most trusted Knight. Like my friends who still live, I grant you my blessing, and my approval. Use the sword well… cleanse my kingdom of this infection. Good luck, hero."_ And then the voice was gone, as Link burst out onto the roofs and fell upon the bomber Knights like the wrath of Din. When they were all slain, he turned to the tower, then paused and looked out over Hyrule. From the east, a sphere of light was flying along the skyline towards the castle. From the south, a glowing, pale white wisp was soaring. And from the north, a flittering, flickering shadow glided forward. Sahasrala, Aginah and Morris were coming. And then as he looked further, Link saw more… Bronze Roger's band of thieves were pouring out of the Lost Woods, howling like barbarians. Even louder screams were coming from Kakariko, where Miz Emma was leading a mob of townspeople armed with a variety of vicious implements. And if one looked closely to the river that led into the castle moat, he might spot the telltale head fins of the fish-men Zora people, led by one ten times as massive as the others. From all its corners, Hyrule was striking back against the curse at its heart.

"Well, that'll keep the Knights in the lower castle off my back." Link grunted. Facing the tower once more, he glared at the barrier of magical energy. Below it, painted on the castle's roof, was something he hadn't seen before; a sinister emblem of an eye. He ignored it. "Time to put this to the test for real. Agahnim's magic… by this sword, it shall be broken… destroyed." He swung the Master Sword down upon the barrier, straight between the glaring eyes, and the flickering energy snapped as easily as a piece of rope, the severed ends flying off, withering and dying. "Destroyed… and Agahnim himself is next." Throwing open the tower's door, Link glared at the pair of astonished Gold Knights on the other side. The room was carpeted in red, and in its center was the same eye pattern.

"Impossible… nobody can pass Master Agahnim's magic but us!" One of them choked.

"I didn't so much pass it… as I obliterated it." Link ran at them. "And the same goes for you boys!" The guards snapped back into action and hoisted their weapons, which Link saw were spiked chain maces, of the same type Sir Remos had used when guarding Zelda in the dungeons. "Oh, no you don't!" Link jumped the one on the left, hacking and slashing at him. The golden armor was thicker and tougher than the lesser orders', but after four hits Link managed to penetrate it and slay the Knight. As soon as he did, he heard a whistling noise, and rolled aside as the spiked mace whirled through the air at him. It struck the fallen knight instead, and the spikes lodged in the body. The other Gold Knight cursed and tried to free his weapon, but it was too late, and Link slew him as well. As he stepped into the next room, the two Black Knights did not pause in surprise as the Golds had done, but charged immediately.

"Uncle Al always said they put the real hotheads in Black…" Link growled, holding his sword steady and waiting, then knocking them both flat on their backs with the whirling blade attack. One quick thrust and then another disposed of them after that, and Link went up to the next floor. There, no torches were lit; the room was absolutely black. Pulling out his lantern, Link swung his sword just in time as he saw the charging Black Knight only a few steps away. He was the only one in the room, fortunately. Beyond that, however, was a maze of thin cement walls. Not only did Link have to find the doorway, but it was locked, forcing him to scour the maze further for a key. "I forgot… this tower was designed as a last refuge for the royal family if war came to Hyrule again. A fortress within a fortress… but I'll pass it." Eventually, he found the key and climbed to the third floor of the tower. It was still dark, and now it was even more dangerous; the way onward led across a narrow, unguarded pathway surrounded on all sides by a deep pit lined with spikes. Knights charged him, but Link managed to knock them to their dooms instead of falling himself. Another threat manifested itself at that point; when something slammed into the side of his head suddenly, Link almost fell over. Righting himself at the last moment, he glared around at the air, and soon located the source of the attack-a truly bizarre creature, consisting of an eyeball on bat wings.

"That's no Hyrulian monster… Agahnim must have pulled it from the Dark World." A single arrow killed it, and did so just as well against the others Link was constantly on guard for. "How many floors does this place have…" The young hero growled as he climbed another set of stairs. "Ah, light… whoa!" A line of archers and spear-throwers was facing him. Diving behind a nearby statue, Link exhaled in relief as the weapons clattered off of it, then threw a lit bomb overhead. As soon as it exploded, he followed it, hitting the Knights in their confusion and killing those who the bomb had not already claimed. After them, a swarm of the eyeball bats commanded by a Red Knight posed no difficulty. The floor after that dispensed with all subtlety; it was simply Knight after Knight. Gold, Black and Red all fell to the Master Sword.

"_Link!"_ Sahasrala yelled telepathically. "_We had even more volunteers to help than we thought! The remaining Knights are penned up in the basement; how are you doing?"_

"_Not good!"_ Link thought back. "_I haven't found them, and this damned tower only has more and more floors!"_

"_When you encounter Agahnim, be careful!"_ Sahasrala advised. "_His magic is strong, but the Master Sword reflects all evil, even his! Defeat him by any means necessary, Link… good luck! We're counting on you!"_ Charging up yet another set of stairs, Link was confronted with an empty room… a room with the emblem of the eye on the floor again. Charging through the door, Link finally saw the wizard Agahnim with his own eyes for the first time.

"So… here you are at last, Link." The evil magician smiled. "You certainly took your time." The wizard was standing behind a cushioned altar, designed to look like the maw of some horrible beast. Lying on it, unconscious, was Zelda.

"Agahnim." Link fought to keep the relief off of his face. "You're right… it's been far too long that you've plagued our kingdom. Now… it ends. I may have taken long… but not long enough for you to send the Princess, it looks like. You've failed your master."

"Heh heh heh… how foolish you are, young one." Agahnim chortled. "Not long enough? Ha! I could have sent her hours ago… but I thought I would wait for you, so you could see her vanish before your own eyes!"

"Mistake… that's not happening!" Link lunged forward, then grunted in pain as an invisible barrier stopped him. Backing up, he hacked at it with the Master Sword, to no avail. "What the heck?"

"A force field… as if I thought you would just sit back and allow me to do this." Agahnim threw his head back and laughed. "Fool! This is the last time you shall ever see your beloved princess… say goodbye, Zelda!" He raised one hand, and then another, both crackling with magical energy… and then lines of power shot out from both, combining into a sphere around Zelda. She stirred slightly, and glanced over at Link.

"Link… I'm sorry… he got me… Link… help me…" And then, in a flash, she was gone, and Link was left staring at Agahnim in shock and despair. The Wizard simply grinned.

"And THAT means game over for you, doesn't it, Link? Good effort, but in the end, I beat you. You LOSE, Link… all seven descendants have been sent over. The barrier is breaking, even as we speak… and soon, we shall emerge and cover this land." He turned away. "I am but one of the Eyes of Ganon… how do you expect to withstand the others when they emerge, let alone our master, who bears the Golden Power? I go now to prepare for their coming… as you should prepare for the end of your wretched life!" He flew through the air without moving his legs, disappearing behind a curtain in the back of the room, leaving Link alone. The force field dropped; Link hadn't realized he had been leaning against it, pounding on it helplessly.

"Zelda…" He croaked. "Why… why did you say YOU were sorry? I'M the one… who failed you… I promised I'd come back for you… but I couldn't save you… Zelda…" And then, beneath the despair… something rose up. Something familiar. Something that had risen when he had fought the Armos Knights, the Lanmolas, and the Moldorm… this time, without shape or form, but there nonetheless. Something that made him stand... Made him walk forward. "Enough. I can get her back… I WILL get her back. And before that… I WILL purge Hyrule of this scourge!" Ripping aside the curtains, he followed Agahnim through into the tower's final room, with three walls made entirely out of glass. Normally, they would let one see over Hyrule from above, but at the moment some power of Agahnim's made them dark. The wizard stood with his back to Link, conversing with another, unknown person.

"What's wrong with it, Arrghus?" He was demanding. "I sent the Princess through! The barrier should be weakening! So WHY can I still not pull anything stronger than a Patra!"

"I don't know, boss!" Whoever Arrghus was answered. "I don't… boss! Behind you! Look out!" Whirling around, Agahnim banished the magic, letting the windows show the blue sky once again.

"Who… oh. Oho!" The wizard's eyes glowed. "You still wish to fight me, even though you've failed completely?"

"I haven't failed… not completely." Link snarled. "I'll go to your Golden Land… and I'll bring her back here. There's only one thing to do before that… obliterating YOU."

"Ha!" Agahnim looked even more amused. "You are as brave as your ancestor was, lad… and as foolish. He was lucky, to defeat the great King Ganon… you will not have the same fortune! If you wish to fight me, it means only one thing-that you wish to be killed! And I'll be more than happy to grant that wish for you! I am AGAHNIM, one of the Eyes of Ganon… and you are nothing more than a boy with a sword that doesn't belong to him!" He raise his hands, and fired from them a sphere of destructive magical power, which flew straight at Link's chest… and with a swing of the Master Sword, he deflected it. The blast turned a blinding white as it flew away from him, hitting a wall and dissipating harmlessly. Agahnim stared. "How did you…"

"I told you." Link shook his head. "I will destroy you, Agahnim… completely and utterly. My Uncle… the King… the other Wise Men… the Princess. All those people and more are calling on me at this moment… calling for your death. You've hurt Hyrule more than any man should ever… here and now, it ends. As does your life." Agahnim's eyes flashed.

"I think not, lad!" He fired again, and Link charged, knocking it aside even as he swung at Agahnim… and with a howl of pain, was blown away by the burst of magical sparks that erupted as soon as the blade touched the wizard. Unhurt, Agahnim loomed over him as he stood.

"How…?"

"Idiot child… my body is still that of a descendant of one of the Seven Sages!" Agahnim informed him. "You think the Master Sword would ever harm the line of Saria, the Forest Sage? The childhood companion of the Hero of Time? Ha! You know nothing about the power you wield… and that shall be your undoing!" He fired another blast, and Link instinctively swiped at it, realizing too late that it was not the same attack as before, but a cluster of smaller blue orbs. As the sword hit it, it burst, scattering in all directions; two of the tiny shots hit him, and he winced, but did not fall. "Hm… you withstood that better than I thought you would…" Agahnim paused in his gloating as he saw the eerie light in Link's eyes. "What are you… bah, I care not! I grow weary of this!" He fired another of the larger blasts, and again the Sword slashed… but this time, it hit the blast with specific timing and aim… reflecting it back at Agahnim. The Wizard grunted in pain as the magic smashed into his own body. "ARGH! No… how? How did you know you could do that?" He stood and glared at Link with an entirely inhuman fury. "How did you KNOW!" A moment of silence, and then Link chuckled darkly, slowly.

"How did I know? Because… I'VE BEAT YOU LIKE THAT BEFORE." Agahnim went completely white.

"You… you lie…"

"No." Link shook his head. "At first, I thought the memories I was having… the images I recalled… were being sent by my ancestor from the afterlife, to aid me. But now I know better… I really DO remember those things. I remember how they happened now… and I remember you." He began to walk forward, slowly, confidently.

"No… no…" Agahnim sputtered, melting into shadows and darting to another corner of the room. "You're just a brat… a descendant of him… a fool…"

"Wrong again." Link turned and continued walking. "I was wrong, too… I didn't know. I wasn't getting help from my ancestor… I was just remembering when I WAS him. Hyrule knew I was needed… and it brought me back. Me, and the Princess… she doesn't know, but she's the same one too. And that just leaves you."

"Shut UP!" Agahnim screamed, firing another magic blast… and again, Link deflected it back into his cringing form.

"You haven't learned at all… this is the exact same strategy you tried against me all those years ago." Now it was Link's turn to sneer. "All that time… all those centuries… and you haven't changed. You haven't learned. You think I don't know you? Servant of Ganon… no. I recognize you now… you're no servant." He displayed his right hand, where the emblem of the Triforce was displayed, one triangle glowing golden. "Ganon… no… Ganondorf Dragmire… You haven't learned a single damn thing." The utterance of his true name caused the wizard to freeze in shock, hands raised… and on the back of his hand, the symbol of the Triforce shone as well.

"You know… everybody forgot my name, but you still know it…" His teeth suddenly clenched in an insane rage. "And you still have it… the power you stole from me… the piece of the Triforce that should have been mine by right!"

"Wrong." Link advanced again, and again Agahnim fled to another corner of the room through the shadows. "It was never yours… even the piece you took, the piece that made you the Forger of Power, was taken by theft. You will never possess the Triforce, Ganon… never."

"Ha… wrong!" Agahnim's eyes had grown bright again. "You forget, Zelda is mine… and if you still have the Triforce of Courage… then I can rip the Triforce of Wisdom from her! And with not one, but TWO pieces at my command, you will finally die by my hand!"

"You won't get the chance!" Link dodged the cluster of blue spheres he fired, batting one of the fragments at Agahnim as it burst on the wall behind him. "I'll kill you here and now!"

"And all that shall mean is my return to my proper body!" Agahnim laughed scornfully. "As a matter of fact, why not? I shall return to it now, and burst forth triumphant through this castle's gates… and my true face will be the last thing you ever see!" His eyes flashed… and nothing happened. "Wha… what? What is this?" Again they flashed, and again there was no result. "No… NO!"

"Looks like you're stuck." Link realized, smiling. "Can't get free, hm? So, then… what happens if this body IS killed? From what Father Brian said, ordinary means won't stop you… but if I keep it up, and blast your body down to nothing with your own magic… what then? Will its destruction free you… or do you die with it? You don't know… I can tell. And to be honest, neither do I. So the question becomes… do you trust your luck against mine?" He advanced, holding the Master Sword before him. "Time to find out."

"Stop…" Agahnim took a step back. "Stop right there…" Still Link advanced. "No… HA! GOT YOU!" His hands flashed out, and from them came not a single blast, but a great storm, a hundred lances of lightning blasting towards his body. "Your Uncle was killed by this… and Princess Zelda defeated! Not even you can…" His voice fell silent in horror as he saw Link holding up the Master Sword, blocking the assault… and then, with a roar, he flung the blade outward, and the few remaining fragments of the blast turned upon their owner. Agahnim screamed and twitched as the magical energy raced through his body.

"No… not again…" Slowly, he raised both his hands to the ceiling. "I can't… lose to him… again…" Slowly, he fell forward onto his face, and did not stir. Link walked towards him, raising the sword, then stopped only an inch away.

"No… it'll just bounce off. Then how do I make sure he's-AH!" Agahnim's hand shot out and grabbed his ankle, and the wizard's face grinned up at him.

"Ugh… well met, boy. You were right… I see you now. You have come back to fight me again… Link. They call you the Hero of Time now… but I remember your name. Link. And you remember how I first fell… enough to be suckered into thinking I was finished again. I'm not. But I AM tired of fighting you for now… and I know why the barrier isn't opening yet. I thought I needed seven… but I need EIGHT. It's been too long since I saw my home… and I think I'll bring you along with me! Are you ready to finally see the Golden Land, Link? Let me tell you… there's no place on Hyrule like it!" Link struggled frantically to escape as the wizard began dragging him towards the glass wall. It shattered, revealing not Hyrule's sky, but a sky that burned with gold, whose sun was a ruby-red brilliance. And Agahnim pulled him towards it.

"No… I won't… not on your terms…" Link tried to escape, but he could not. "You won't… take me… you…" He could not free himself from Agahnim's grasp. Slowly, he stopped struggling. "…So. You want to bring this fight onto your home turf? All right then…" He threw back his head and laughed, long and loud, as he threw himself forward, hurling both of them off of the tower. "FINE! If you want me to take everything away from you a second time, who am I to argue? Let's go, Ganondorf… we'll play the whole damn story out again!" He looked at Agahnim, and Agahnim looked at him; both of their faces were bound in maniac grins, and together they laughed insanely as they plummeted into the Dark World.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"


	8. Chapter 7: Hell's Gate Open

**_Chapter 7: Hell's Gate Open_**

"Oh, Goddesses… that must have been one hell of a drinking binge I went on…" Link groaned. His head felt like it had hit solid stone from a hundred feet. Opening his eyes, Link realized why; he HAD. The rock he was lying on had a dent in it the exact shape of his face. "Okay, how did I survive THAT? Uncle Al always said I had a hard head, but…" His gaze fell upon another dent, next to the first, shaped like another man's face… Agahnim's… and then, in one flash, the events directly before his fall came back to him. The Master Sword… Father Brian… Zelda… Agahnim… GANON. "He must have done something… or maybe there was something involved in the transition to… the Dark World…" Looking up, he saw that the sky was not blue, but a shining, sparkling golden hue, with a blood-red sun. "Yeah… I'm in the Sacred Realm, all right. Not good. But where… whoa." The sudden realization of where he stood struck him. He was on top of a huge, multi-tiered pyramid that had been constructed where Hyrule Castle lay in his own world. A series of staircases led down one side, and flanking each section were statues of Agahnim. "Looks like whoever's in charge of upkeep here works fast when it comes to sucking up to the bossman…" He glanced back at the imprint of Agahnim's face, and noticed that it was much closer to the east edge than his was. On a malicious suspicion, he looked down at that side from above; sure enough, more indentations of various body parts dotted the levels in a zigzag downward pattern. "Wish I could have seen that. He'll be out of the picture for a while, hopefully… but who knows what kinds of servants he's got here. When he was playing the traitor wizard, he said he was one of the Eyes of Ganon… could that be an actual group or something, I wonder…"

"_Link!"_ Sahasrala's voice screamed in his ear, and he winced. "_Link, can you hear me?"_

"Yeah, I can hear you." Link replied. "What's up?"

"_You're awake… thank the Goddesses!"_ Sahasrala sighed. "_Link, listen. It's been a full day since you and Agahnim both disappeared. Where are you? Are you in the Golden Land?"_

"_Yeah, on top of some pyramid thing where Hyrule Castle should be…"_ Link shook his head. "_Never mind me. How's OUR world? Did Ga… Agahnim succeed? Is the barrier broken?"_

"_Yes… and no."_ Sahasrala sounded worried. "_It's definitely taken a heavy hit… a huge portal opened, bigger than any of the others, right in the front gate of Hyrule Castle. All the remaining Knights of Hyrule fled through there. But I don't think it's completely destroyed… not yet. Ganon himself shouldn't be able to come through, and neither should his strongest servants… but he can send anything less than them through at any time now. And time will damage the barrier further… unless something's done within a month, it will be lost."_

"_Mount round-the-clock guards on that spot."_ Link instructed. "_You three guys, the Bronze Hands, the Kakariko villagers… always be ready. As for that month… what exactly do I have to do?"_

"_I don't think halfway measures will work any more."_ Sahasrala explained. "_Not with this much damage… no. The only way to save the barrier is to completely neutralize the effect that damaged it… rescuing all seven girls, and bringing them back, along with yourself."_

"_Then I'd better get moving."_ Link checked to make sure the Master Sword was still at his side; fortunately, it was. "_I'm guessing one of Agahnim's buddies carried him off… I don't know why they didn't finish me off when I was down, but something tells me sticking around here to find out would be a REAL bad idea. My head still hurts like hell, but I feel rested, so I want to hit one of the places the big man's got the girls stashed before they know it. Any ideas where they'd be? He wouldn't just keep them all at his HQ, would he?" _

"_No."_ Sahasrala agreed. "_This is purely speculation, but based on what I know of the Forger's personality, from records of long ago… you said there's a pyramid where Hyrule Castle should be. You may want to check the corresponding locations of the Temples… the dungeons where you found the Pendants."_

"_Good idea…"_ Link thought for a moment. "_Well, the closest one is the Eastern Palace… or Forest Temple, if you prefer… so I'll try that first. Right, I'm off… talk to you later."_

"_Be careful, Link… now, more than ever, you truly are our only hope."_ Sahasrala pleaded. Link nodded and began climbing down the pyramid, looking down at the ground below.

"Hm… looks like some routine patrols…" A pair of monsters were sitting down below, both recognizable as types that had come through to Hyrule through portals before. One was a flower-human hybrid with a huge, fang-filled maw; the other, a brawny cyclops with a sack of bombs on its back. "A Snapdragon and a Hinox." His gaze remained on the latter's explosive supply. "There's an idea…" Lighting one of his own bombs, Link tossed it down between the two of them. They turned to stare at it.

"Huh?" They blinked stupidly, and the explosion claimed both.

"Haw… these guys are even dumber than the Knights." Link chuckled as he walked out onto the ground. "About as bright as-WHOA!" He stopped himself just in time; directly in front of the pyramid was a transparent wall of barely visible, shimmering blue energy. He hadn't seen it from above. "This must be the portal… it's huge. Sahasrala was right… this is bad." Stepping around it, he ran east as fast as the Pegasus Boots could carry him. As on Death Mountain, the scenery was just warped enough to be strange but not so much as to be completely new, making Link feel uneasy. Even the hostile native Octorocks were there, albeit in a strange, primitive form. "Maybe these are what Octorocks looked like centuries ago… who knows." Moving past them, Link found the network of ruins that had held the Eastern Palace in the Light World. But here, the layers of terraces were replaced by a huge mass of vines. "Well… this is different. Probably some kind of maze. Ugh… I hate mazes. Well, there's no helping it…" Grumbling, he walked forward into the vines. After he had gone, there were a few moments of quiet… and then more voices.

"Ki… Well, what did you think of him?" One inquired. The other grunted.

"Not much."

"Ki… you're joking, right, Birdbrain?" The first voice's owner demanded indignantly, pulling itself onto the branch of the tree that had been hiding it. Scratching its ear, the purple monkey continued. "LOOK at him, kiki! He's not transformed! You KNOW what that means, kikiki!"

"Yeah, Kiki. I know. It means he's a lucky idiot who found the Moon Pearl accidentally and probably doesn't even realize it's doing this for him." Kiki's partner fluttered down onto the branch next to her; a stumpy, brownish-green bird. "But… there is something that makes me wonder. Remember what Ballio and Brutus were yelling about a few days ago?"

"About that one guy who could escape from here, ki? But he was transformed… into a pink bunny, they said…" Kiki's eyes widened. "You think… that he might have found the Pearl after they told him about it?" She paused for a moment. "Kikiki?"

"Stop that." Birdbrain harrumphed. "He's wearing a green tunic and hat, and has a sword… two appearances so soon after each other can't be coincidence. Question is, what do we do about it? We still don't know that he's not a new Eye of Ganon recruited from Hyrule…"

"Ki… I'll go for the direct approach, then." Kiki decided, hanging from the branch by her tail. "It'll mean exposing myself… Vitreous has been watching him, of course… but it's worth the risk, kiki. You get back to base and tell Handy and Neosquid… they'll probably want to come over here themselves."

"For this… probably." Birdbrain agreed, flapping his wings. "It's your neck… just don't take any more risks than you have to. Chances are the bossmen will be here in a couple hours… good luck until then." He flew off quickly, darting from tree to tree. Kiki waited a few minutes, then dashed into the vine maze after the strange swordsman.

"All right… I think I'm finally getting my bearings here." Link muttered to himself after some time in the labyrinth. "I should be almost there… oh, goodie, another patrol." More Hinoxes and Snap Dragons were constantly walking around the maze, and several times before Link had been obliged to dispose of them. Doing the same with the latest ones, he walked past them and smiled; the vines ended up ahead. "Now, to see if I made it to my goal correctly." Turning north as he exited, he smiled. "Strange… like everything else here… but that's definitely what I'm looking for."

"Looking for the Palace of Darkness, kiki?" A voice behind him asked. "No, no, don't worry, I'm not an enemy… kikiki!" It was a small purple monkey, hanging down from the vines. "You killed those bad guys… so you must be a good guy, am I right, ki?"

"Yeah…" Link smiled in spite of himself. "You a friend of Ballio and Brutus?"

"Maybe, ki!" The monkey dropped to the ground. "I'm Kiki the monkey! You seem like a nice guy, kikiki… so what do you want with the Palace of Darkness?"

"A friend of mine is in there… the bad guys have her inside. Or so I figure, anyways." Link explained. "I'm here to get her back… she'd be a girl about my age, maybe a bit older. Six of them… seven now… came through recently."

"You mean the crystal maidens, kikiki? My bosses thought there was something up with them…" Kiki scratched her head. "Seven now, huh, ki? We've only seen six… most of them are being kept by the BIG bad guys. The Eyes of… the Forger."

"So that IS the name of his chief flunkies…" Link blinked. "Wait, most?"

"Yup! Kikiki! The one here isn't… all that's guarding the one here is a really huge monster!" Kiki explained, jumping around. "At least until we found something, kiki! Look at the entrance!" Link did, and immediately saw what she was talking about; a titanic stone slab covered the way in completely, immovably.

"Some kind of mechanism?"

"Kiki! Yup! So the Eyes can't get back in either!" Kiki danced around. "My bosses declared happy hour all day after we got 'em with that one, kikiki!" She suddenly stopped. "And now… you want to get in there, ki?"

"Yeah…" Link admitted. "I think I can save that girl… I've already dealt with my share of monsters. But…" He smiled. "Let me guess. You don't want to just open it up for me… since you're not sure I'm not an agent of the big man?"

"Yup! Ki! Smart!" Kiki grinned. "Tell you what, though. Give me a hundred rupees, and I'll open it up… as long as you don't mind me coming with you in there to make sure!"

"Fair enough." Link nodded. "A hundred it is, then." Pulling out five bright red jewels from his wallet, he handed them to Kiki. "Here you go."

"Kikiki! Good move!" Grabbing the jewels, Kiki quickly made them disappear, then jumped up onto a gargoyle of a gorilla and from there to the roof. "One thing first…" She suddenly whipped her arm at the sky, and a good distance away, a white orb fell out of the air, transfixed by a shuriken that had embedded itself in it. "Spy eye. The guy who runs them'll be pissed about that, so we'd better get inside quick, ki! Now, where was it… aha!" She jumped firmly on a protruding brick in the roof. As it sank in and another one on the opposite side of the entrance rose, the huge stone slab fell forward, revealing a staircase on its other side and opening up the Palace.

"So, this is called the Palace of Darkness." Link muttered as Kiki dropped down next to him. "Well, in we go!" Kiki nodded.

"Yup! Kikikiki!"

"Ugh…" Agahnim slowly opened his eyes. "Damnation… what happened? My whole body hurts…"

"Please don't try to move too much…" A voice hissed from his left. A huge, gargantuan moth was hovering over him, looking worried. "You were severely injured… what happened?"

"The brat put up much more of a fight than I expected." Agahnim grunted. "He might have actually beaten me, so I pulled him into the Dark World… realized he was probably necessary along with the other seven, so that's probably a good thing in the long run. After that… you tell me, Mothula. I blacked out when we arrived."

"Well, uh…" Mothula flapped her wings hesitantly. "You kind of… well…"

"You didn't exactly have a soft landing, boss." Another voice, loud and raucous, interrupted. It was a huge, white-robed red demon with a broad grin. "Landed on the Pyramid of Power hard enough to leave a dent and, well, kind of… bounced… all the way down the side."

"Wonderful." Agahnim groaned. "Thank you for that lovely bit of information, Blind. Dare I hope that the same happened to Link, at least, and that you have him in custody?"

"I live to serve, oh mighty Forger of Power…" Blind bowed flamboyantly. "But no joy on that part, I'm afraid… he landed much more squarely on the Pyramid, and stayed on the top. And because of that… of what's in there… none of US could go up to get him. We thought about sniping him, but we didn't know if you wanted him dead or alive. He was unconscious for almost as long as you were, but about an hour ago he woke up and headed off to the east… Vitreous has an eye on him right now, of course. He seems to be going for the Palace of Darkness."

"Not good." Agahnim shook his head. "He'll be trying to free the girl there…" He paused. "Wait. The barrier. Is it destroyed?"

"Not… entirely, master." The giant moth admitted, then continued quickly. "But it's weak! There's a huge portal in front of the Pyramid… must be ten feet wide! All the surviving Knights came through there, by the way… but anyways, it's huge, and it'll just keep growing! A month, boss, that's all you'll need."

"A month…" Agahnim smiled. "Very well. Compared to how long I have been locked up in this miserable shade of my destined kingdom… a month is nothing."

"Indeed…" Mothula's eyes shone.

"Ahem." Blind coughed. "Anyways, we may not have the punk, but we DID nab the Princess, boss! Wasn't easy, too… she might have been unconscious when you sent her, but when she popped out here she fought like a freakin' tiger! Took my head off before we got her down!"

"Ah… how lucky that you had others." Agahnim chuckled dryly.

"Yup! So, uh… does that count as the one you were going to take from me for screwing up the Palace of Darkness?" The grinning demon chuckled nervously. Agahnim looked at him solemnly for a moment.

"I'll think about it." He shrugged finally. "So, where is she?"

"Right here." Opening a door in one wall, Blind pulled in… a shimmering blue crystal ten feet tall, floating gently in the air. And inside the crystal, angrily pounding on its interior… was Princess Zelda.

"So, you survived…" She glared at Agahnim. "Damn you…"

"Your young comrade tried… but in the end, it was for naught." Agahnim smirked at her. "I could be evil and tell you he died, but what's the point? We're both beyond such pettiness, I think."

"I LIKE pettiness." Blind muttered to himself. Everybody ignored him.

"He's here as well… and from what my servants told me, he's going to try and save the girls." Agahnim explained. "Foolishness, of course… it's far too late for that. Isn't it, Mothula?"

"Well…" Mothula looked uncertain. "Individually, yes… but…"

"But?" Agahnim suddenly glared at her. "What's the 'but?' I don't like the 'but,' Mothula." Blind muttered something about pants, and again, everybody ignored him.

"Well… purely hypothetically… if he somehow, impossibly, managed to get all seven of them back to the Hyrule side… plus himself… then the barrier might… repair itself. Hypothetically." Mothula's eyes darkened. "Please don't hurt me, boss… I'm just telling it how it is."

"True… it's not your fault." The wizard agreed after a moment. "Bad news rarely is… unlike SOME screwups I could mention."

"I'll get the Rag one of these days." Blind growled, grin suddenly angry. "I'll dance on their graves… if we bother GIVING them graves."

"You'd better." Agahnim turned back to Zelda. "At any rate… that won't be a problem, since it's not going to happen. You especially, dear princess… you have something that I desire most earnestly." Zelda slowly nodded.

"The Triforce of Wisdom…"

"Indeed… passed along your bloodline by your ancestor, the Sage of Time." Agahnim spat out the title like an oath. "But mine… mine has stayed with me all these years."

"Don't bother with the theatrics." Zelda told him scornfully. "I figured out who you really were when I saw that mark on your hand… Ganon."

"Clever girl." Agahnim chuckled. "Correct. And in time, I shall take your Triforce as well… but not now. No, for now there are other matters…" He waved a hand at Blind. "Have somebody take her to the basement for now… she can stay there until her relocation."

"You're moving her out too?" Blind sounded surprised. "I thought you might keep her here, since she's the Princess and all…"

"I already explained this to you, Blind." Mothula sighed. "The energy field around the Tower has a negative effect on the crystal casing we're using for them, that eventually proves fatal… so she can't stay here, even more than the others couldn't."

"Excuse me for not remembering your mumbo-jumbo." Blind shook his head as a guard carted Zelda off. A moment later, another door slammed opened. Through it, a grotesque eyeball the size of a watermelon floated in the air. It paused for a moment, and then somehow, despite its lack of a mouth, screamed a VERY derogatory word of the female persuasion.

"I hope that wasn't meant to refer to me, Vitreous?" Mothula inquired coolly.

"No, it's that monkey!" Vitreous yelled. "That stupid freakin' monkey shot one of my eyes out of the sky!"

"Monkey? You mean the one called Kiki?" Blind frowned. "She's a tougher customer than she looks, though not as bad as the big two… why'd she do it? Just to piss you off? The Rag usually have better ways of doing that to us…"

"No, she's with the kid. The wannabe hero." Vitreous sulked. "Joined up with him just outside the Palace of Darkness… said she would open it up for him, then killed the eye before I could see how she did it. Before I could get another one to the scene, they were already in."

"So they're inside the Palace of Darkness?" Agahnim repeated. Vitreous' pupil widened.

"Your majesty! I didn't see you, didn't know you were back! Um, yes, they're in there. Ooh, when they come back out they're going to get it…"

"Negative, Vitreous." Agahnim disagreed. "You will continue your assigned task… now, more than ever, you must be ever vigilant. Let nothing happen in my realm that you do not see."

"Yes, sir." Vitreous gave in.

"Good." Agahnim turned to the other two. "Blind, Mothula… go to the Palace of Darkness. IF they emerge, attack. Kill the monkey… but bring Link to me alive." Blind saluted.

"Alive being a purely technical term?" His grin widened.

"Mind functioning, still able to talk… and walk, I suppose." Agahnim said after a moment's thought. "Apart from that… use your judgment."

"I LIKE using my judgment!" Blind cackled. "Come on, Mothy, let's go play cops! Ha ha ha!"

"So, how many people are there here that are on your side?" Link asked Kiki as they walked through the empty entry room of the Palace.

"A few." Kiki shrugged. "Watch out for the Helmasaur there, ki; they're small but they're fierce. Don't even try breaking the mask; it won't work. Kiki." The beast she was referring to was a brown lizard the size of a badger with a glossy green shell covering its face. Grunting, it charged, and Link stepped aside, skewering it in the back as it passed him.

"Not going to give me any details until you're sure I'm on your side, huh? Well, all right. Fair enough." Walking down some stairs into a basement room, they found something strange. "That looks like one of the portals to here from Hyrule… but it's orange. And what's with that gray one next to it? That one isn't moving…"

"Teleporter." Kiki explained. "The gray's the arrival point, kikiki… except it wouldn't make much sense to just move us a couple feet, so my guess is they're not corresponding and there's one on the other end that brings us back here."

"Might as well find out where it goes, then." Link stepped on the teleporter. There was a moment of dizzy blackness, and then he was in another room. A moment later, Kiki appeared behind him. "Well, that was interesting. There's a tunnel; let's see where THAT goes." As they walked down it, something floated out of the darkness; a blue jellyfish, floating in the air.

"Watch out, kikiki!" Kiki warned. "It's a Biri! Touch it at the wrong time and you'll get electrocuted!" As if on cue, the jellyfish paused in the air and began glowing like a light bulb. After a few moments, it stopped and resumed its casual drift. A moment later, another of Kiki's shuriken brought it down.

"You're handy with those things." Link complimented her, slicing another one in half as it appeared.

"Survival necessity here." Kiki shrugged. "Especially if you plan on fighting the Eyes."

"I'll bet…" Link frowned. "Now what have we here?" The wall ahead was a dead end, but there were two large, obvious cracks running up from the floor on opposite ends of it. "Looks like there's something behind here that was sealed up. Good thing I've got some bombs… better open them both-"

"Bad idea. Look again, ki." Kiki warned, pointing at the floor. From the left crack, another, much thinner fracture ran through the floor… dividing into hundreds of hairline cracks that fit neatly between the bricks. Link shuddered.

"That one's a trap… thanks, Kiki. But the right one should be okay." Blowing it open with a bomb, he and the monkey continued on into a long hall, most of which was occupied by a conveyer belt. "A floor that moves YOU? How convenient… and suspicious." He nodded as holes opened up in the walls, releasing man-sized metal blocks covered on all four vertical sides with half-foot spikes that began flinging themselves back and forth a foot off the floor, parallel to the belt. "There we go. We have to dodge those too."

"No problem for me, kikiki!" Kiki scrambled across easily. Link followed, somewhat more difficultly, but in the end he made it, and they took the stairs up to the ground floor again.

"Show-off." The young warrior grumbled. "Hm… a treasure chest… and what the heck?" They were actually on a balcony above the main level of the floor; however, the edge was blocked rather strangely. All along it were square holes in the ground, each occupied by the head of a squat, buck-toothed rodent. In perfect synchronization, the heads popped in and out of the holes every few seconds.

"Great… metal moles." Kiki groaned. "We can't get through them… they're actually some kind of machine that none of our weapons can affect. One of the Eyes, Mothula, created them… they can be a real pain, ki."

"I'll bet." Link nodded grimly. The mole heads were as large as he was; there was no way to get over them. "At least we can grab what's in the chest…" It turned out to be a map. "Score! Now, let's see here… hm. Looks like there's only two floors, the ground one and the basement… and most of the latter is individual rooms. Except for these two right here, and what we've already gone through… the rest all looks to be one big complex on the main floor. A lot more complicated than it was in the Light World."

"Huh?" Kiki looked at him sidelong. "You've been through here in Hyrule, kiki?"

"Yeah… there was something I had to get. Just like there is here." Link put the map away. "Right, we can't go any further this way… back to the entrance. There was another door in the first room that apparently goes into the main area." They backtracked for a few minutes before he spoke again. "So… why a monkey, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Heh… no, I don't, ki." Kiki chuckled. "I was an acrobat back in the Light World, I think you called it… it's a good name. Visited Hyrule with a traveling circus, got lost one night and stumbled into here. Never even knew about the Forger or any of that before the others explained it to me… once I did, the monkey thing made sense." She paused. "I always liked bananas, too."

"Har." Link chuckled as they reached the entry room again and took the other path. He raised an eyebrow. "Any idea what THOSE are, now?" Walking towards them were a pair of creatures looking like red-shelled turtles…save that they had no visible head or tail, just four tiny legs positioned evenly below the body.

"You've got me here, ki…" The monkey scratched her head. "But at a glance, I don't think our weapons are going to do much good… they don't even have a vulnerable spot we can reach like the Helmasaurs."

"Plan B, then… dodge and run." Link glanced around the room quickly. They were on one side of a huge chasm; the path split into two bridges that crossed it, each leading to a separate door. A third door was on a high balcony between and above the two, inaccessible… a door he could see stairs leading down inside. And there was another treasure chest on the balcony. "I'm getting what's probably a real bad idea…" He ran over to the edge of the chasm and looked inside. It was actually much shallower than it looked; only a ten-foot drop. Onto hard stone. "Check that. It's definitely a real bad idea…"

"Well, what is it?" Kiki demanded, dodging the Turtles. "Tell me already!"

"I'll just show you… oh, geeeeeeeeeeez!" Link yelled as he hopped down. He grunted in pain as he landed, but nothing seemed broken. A few minutes later, Kiki landed calmly next to him.

"You okay, ki?"

"Against all logic, yes." Link admitted. "Guess I'm made of tougher stuff than I thought…"

"Now it's my turn for a bad thought, kiki." Kiki suddenly stepped back. "Get away from there, quick!" Puzzled, Link did so. A moment later, the two Turtles slammed into the ground where they had been standing. Completely unfazed, the beasts headed towards them.

"Man, those guys just don't quit!" Link groaned, then slapped his face as MORE trouble arrived; four yellow Stalfos descended from the ceiling. Unlike the ones Link had met before, however, they remained stationary-or at least their bodies did. Their skulls, however, floated off and began diving at him and Kiki. "Right, THAT'S it. Run away!" They dashed up the only exit to the room; stairs that led up to the balcony.

"So this is why you did that, kikiki." Kiki realized as she saw the chest. "I'd criticize you for risking your life over greed, but finding that map makes me think this might not actually be treasure, but something we need."

"That's the way I figured it." Link agreed, opening the chest and pulling out a large, golden key. "Yup. Besides, you're the one who charged me a hundred rupees to open this place up. Now then, let's get moving. At least we've lost pursuit for now; those Stalfos probably won't leave the room, and the turtles didn't look built to handle stairs. Pick a door; they both lead to the same room, but probably different areas of it."

"Left." Kiki decided after a moment.

"Left it is." Link agreed. They jumped from the balcony and went through the left door. As it turned out, there was no difference in where the doors led at all. "Figures." They were standing on one side of a single long bridge over another pit, this one filled with spikes. On the other end was a door. "Simple… uncomplicated. Why do I suspect a trap? Jump on my head… just do it, don't ask questions." Shrugging, the monkey complied. "Right!" Revving up his Pegasus Boots, Link dashed onto the bridge. The moment he passed the first few tiles, they began floating into the air, leaving blank space below them. "Dammit, I thought so! Keep those things off me!" Kiki nodded as she saw the flying tiles hurl themselves like missiles.

"Right!" Hearing the crash of shattering stone, Link smiled and continued running. Before long, they reached the other side and ran through into a pitch-black room.

"Nice moves… one question, ki." Kiki muttered as Link lit his lantern. "How do we get back across?"

"I'll figure something out." Link shrugged, looking around. Thin, narrow walls that turned every few feet; this was a maze if he'd ever seen one. "Maybe the bridge will regenerate; stuff like that happens in places like this. Let's see what's in here…" The maze was as dangerous as the rest of the Palace, as it turned out; as they were about to turn a corner, a flash of light warned them back, and a moment later a stream of fire blasted past. Once it had died down, they peeked around to see a squat green lizard closing its mouth. "Some kind of dragon…" Even after they had killed it, several more lurked in the maze as well. Eventually, the two of them found a pair of treasure chests; one normal-sized, one much larger.

"Open the small one, kiki." Kiki advised. "That big one screams 'greedy trap' to me."

"I don't think so… I've seen this before." Link disagreed. "The big ones, anyways."

"Your skin, ki." Kiki shrugged, backing away. To her surprise, when Link opened the large chest with the key they had found there was no trap. Instead, he lifted out the contents. "What… is…"

"It seems… familiar." Link muttered. It was a sledgehammer, made of some unknown metal. It was aged and corroded, rusted an orange color, and it looked relatively small, head only about a foot long… but despite that, Link could feel an incredible power inside the hammer. "This is… the M…" He frowned. "Something Hammer… something starting with M."

"Magic?" Kiki suggested.

"Magic… that's not it, but it'll work. Magic Hammer it is, then." Link grinned at it. "Hey… bet you twenty rupees THIS'll take care of those Metal Moles."

"No bet, kikiki" Kiki grinned as well. "Let's go try it out."

"Grab the other one first…" Link opened the small chest. It contained… a single wooden arrow.. "Ugh… very funny. Oh well, an arrow's an arrow." Sticking it in his quiver, he and Kiki turned around and begin working their way back through the maze. As Link had predicted, the attacking bridge had regenerated, and they crossed it the same way as before. It took some time for them to backtrack all the way to the moles, but they did it, and as they had guessed, the Hammer smashed the moles down into their holes, jamming whatever mechanism operated them and keeping them down. Hopping down off the balcony, they walked through the door in front of them. The room beyond was square and simple, containing only one thing, one that made Link jump. "A Rocklops!"

"Huh? No, it's just a statue, ki." Kiki jumped on the cycloptic slab of stone to demonstrate. The Rocklops remained motionless.

"Weird…" Link scratched his head. "What's the point of this room?"

"Look at the floor." Kiki pointed out. "There's a kind of pattern on the paint running around the edges, kiki… it's been that way through this palace. But here, it's only up against three walls… not on the one to your right."

"Aha… well spotted. I wonder…" Link took out his bow. "Maybe that arrow wasn't a gag after all." Aiming, he fired a shaft into the eye of the statue. Immediately, the stone eyelid slammed shut, snapping it off, and the room began shaking thunderously as the conspicuous wall slid back, revealing stairs in the floor leading down. "Ha! Excellent… and if I remember correctly…" He pulled out the map again. "Down into the basement… into the only rooms we haven't explored. Two of them. We're almost to the end." The first room was a long, narrow hall, completely dark. Using his lantern again, Link saw two more of the bizarre Turtles moving down it towards him. Side by side, they completely blocked the passageway.

"Any ideas, ki?" Kiki asked nervously. Link nodded slowly.

"Actually, yes." He took out the Hammer. "I remember how to use this now… been too long…" Kiki blinked and tried to speak, but her question was lost in the earth-shaking thump as Link slammed the hammer into the ground in front of the Turtles, sending a shockwave through the stone that flipped them both, revealing vulnerable undersides. Disposing of them with the Master Sword, Link continued on.

"What did you mean, you remember using it?" Kiki demanded as he disposed of another pair.

"Maybe I'll explain whenever you want to tell me more about your buddies." Link replied coolly. "I remember the name now, though… Megaton. I kinda like Magic Hammer, though, so I'll stick with that." Behind him, Kiki's eyes widened, but he didn't notice; instead, he stared up at what was above the entrance to the last room. A Helmasaur's skull, complete with mask. "Kiki… about this monster you said was guarding the girl here…" Kiki blinked.

"What? Oh, yes… Mothula created this thing too, but it's much worse than the mechanical moles, kikiki. We've only seen it once; they were hauling it here in a huge magical crate that needed fifty of the Forger's men. Half to drag it, and half to control the thing. We attacked them to see what they were bringing… and we regretted it, believe me, ki. We couldn't get a good luck at it, since it was night out and raining, but it seemed to have a Helmasaur as its base; thing was, it was the size of an elephant!"

"Great…" Link shook his head. "Wait. You attacked a transport run of the big guy's soldiers, huh? You and your friends? You do that sort of thing often?"

"Maaaaaybe." Kiki grinned. "You look like you think you can take it anyways… do so, and then we'll talk, kiki."

"Heh… a challenge. Fair enough." Link walked forward into the room. "All right, let's… oh, MAN…" The room was well-lit, unlike the one before, allowing him and Kiki to see the monstrosity before them all too well. As Kiki had claimed, it was the size of an elephant; a four-legged brute whose entire body was covered in thick orange plating. The head was even more protected; a purple mask stretched across it, with a pair of eyes glaring through, glowing like a pair of blazing fires. Behind the spherical bulk of the monster's body, a long tail lashed back and forth; on the end, Link saw a spiked mace.

"…Change of plans." Kiki stammered. "Why don't we get out of here and come back with something more powerful, ki? Like, say, a bomb that can take out a building?"

"No can do… the door's closed behind us." Link informed her. "There's only one way to get out here now… by killing that thing… that Helmasaur King." The beast glared at them, but did not attack; it moved left and right, pausing every few steps and then moving jerkily again, sizing them up. Link did the same, eyes narrowed. "One thing I'm wondering is… why the mask? That hide looks bad enough all by itself… nothing I've got is going to penetrate. So what's the mask for?" Realization struck Kiki.

"You think it's hiding a weak point, ki?"

"Yeah… and despite what you'd think at first glance, I think that mask should be breakable, unlike the shell… with the proper tool, that is. Got to wait for the right moment… when he attacks, it'll be quick, so get ready to dodge… now!" The tail had begun swinging much faster, building up momentum; a moment later, it lashed forward over the Helmasaur King's back, striking at Link, who smashed it aside with the Master Sword as he ran forward, pulling out the Megaton Hammer. The Helmasaur King hissed as the mighty sledge slammed into the left side of the mask, cracking it and punching out a small chunk. Link leaped back, smiling grimly. "Yes… it worked."

"Good, but get back, kikiki!" Kiki yelped. "It breathes fire!"

"What!" Link demanded, looking down and seeing the King's mouth opening, with a glow like a lantern inside. He dived back as the a massive fireball spewed out, spreading into smaller flames that blasted in different directions across the entire room. Swearing, Link rolled around to put out the flames on his tunic, then leaped to his feet just in time to dodge the tail strike. Running forward, he smashed the Hammer into the mask again, and another small chunk fell out.

"Ki! It'll take all day if you do it that way, kikiki!" Kiki yelled.

"Got any better ideas?" Link shouted back as he positioned himself to avoid the firespray.

"Yeah!" Kiki danced around to dodge as well. "You got any bombs left? Slam them into those holes!" Link slowly smiled.

"Now THAT'S a strategy!" He did so, then jumped back quickly, and as the bombs exploded, the Helmasaur King did not hiss; it screamed. Shards of the mask flew everywhere as the entire thing blew off; what parts that were not completely destroyed slipped loose without the rest of the mask to hold them on. "Bingo… looks like I was right on the money." Embedded in the flesh of the King's forehead, between and above the still-fiery eyes, was an emerald of impossible proportions, larger than Link himself.

"That must be the core of the magic Mothula used to create it… the anchor point!" Kiki crowed.

"Good, but I don't think big jumbo's going to let me wreck it easily!" Link growled. The Helmasaur King was scrambling around twice as fast now.

"Don't bother using your hammer… the amount of magic sunk into it will make it soft and weak!" Kiki demonstrated by hurling a pair of shuriken, which sunk into the emerald with a soft thunk. There was no blood, but the King screamed nonetheless.

"Got it!" Link yelled, pulling out his bow and arrows. "Better stay the distance, then…" But the King would not be thwarted so easily; as the arrows hit, it roared and charged forward, advancing on Link. Tail swung out and fire erupted simultaneously; as he dodged the latter, Link saw the former whipping towards him, and raised his shield in defense… and screamed as the spiked mace smashed through its edge and into his arm, slamming him into a wall.

"No!" Kiki yelled.

"I'm… still alive." Link stood up, teeth gritted. "This… is nothing. Compared to what I've gone through… this is nothing at all!" He dropped the ruined shield and pulled out his boomerang. "But I will admit… I'm pissed off at this THING!" He threw the boomerang, and all eyes were on it… even the Helmasaur King's. Its tail swung out to smash the pitiful projectile out of the sky… and Link grabbed the tail. The Helmasaur King, not noticing, pulled it back over its head, and Link released it as he was flying up, launching himself even higher. Kiki stared, completely stunned, as he fell upon the emerald like a bolt of lighting, screaming furiously as he unleashed the Whirling Blade maneuver horizontally like a buzz saw. The Master Sword ripped the green stone apart straight down the middle, and the Helmasaur King screamed one last time as its entire body began glowing with an intense white light… and then it exploded into nothingness, leaving only a scorch mark on the floor and the withered, wasted body of an unmasked Helmasaur.

"What…" Kiki stammered. "You did that… what are you? Are you crazy, or…"

"No… I'm not crazy." Link shook his head. "But I will do anything… whatever it takes… to get these seven girls back. To save Hyrule from Ganon." He picked up his boomerang. "Damn, it's cracked… can't use it any more. Same with my shield… but at least I won. Now, where…" He looked up and smiled as a small blue crystal slowly floated down, about the size of a Pendant. "Aha. Now, who's in there?" The crystal began spinning, and it grew until it was larger than he was, and the girl inside was her normal size. She was familiar to him; it was Sahasrala's daughter, Sara.

"Link… is that really you?" She was, against all logic, still recognizably human. "Did you actually kill that monstrosity?"

"Yeah." Link nodded to her. "I'm here to bring you back home. Your family's waiting for you… they're all fine."

"They are? I had feared the worst…" Sara smiled. "Thank you, Link… but it's not that easy, I'm afraid."

"I might have… ways." Link assured her.

"I'll bet you do…" She nodded. "But you see… it's this crystal. Ganon created it, and encased all seven of us in them… they're incredibly powerful magical constructs. Even the Master Sword cannot break them… as you've probably figured out, they also protect us from the transforming effects of the Golden Land."

"Anything else you know about them?" Link wondered. "Anything at all?"

"Yes… we can all sense each other through them, and communicate telepathically." Sara explained. "Hold on… I'll try to contact Zelda." She closed her eyes, then opened them a moment later and spoke in a different voice… Zelda's voice.

"Link! Link, I'm so glad you're okay…" She paused. "Well, relatively okay. What have you been doing, picking a fight with a volcano?" In spite of himself, Link chuckled.

"No, just an overgrown lizard with a halitosis problem. What about you?"

"Been better, but at least I'm still alive." She conceded. "I'm in a crystal like Sara, and right now I'm at Ganon's Tower… that's the Forger's palace. It's on Death Mountain. But I won't be there for long… one of his stooges said something about how the crystals' magical auras clashed with an energy field around the tower so drastically that it would kill us if we stayed in there for a prolonged period of time. So they'll be moving me somewhere else…"

"Right." Link nodded. "I'll get you out of there… I promise."

"Good… just stay alive. And hurry… I know you've already done more than you should have had to, but we don't have much time. The barrier's not completely destroyed yet, but…"

"But it will be soon, unless we get all of you back to Hyrule." Link finished. "Sahasrala figured that out. But if we get you back, he'll be stuck again."

"I'm glad you know that… but Ganon does too." Zelda warned him. "One of his minions is dangerously intelligent… Mothula, I think her name was."

"I've heard the name… apparently, she created the abomination guarding Sara here." Link growled. "She'll probably be guarding one of the other girls herself… it won't be easy to take her down, but I'll manage. I'll kill all of them… and I'll save you."

"Thank you, Link…" Zelda smiled. "I'll let you go, then… good luck." Her eyes closed again, and then opened, and Sara spoke once more.

"All right, Link… let's get out of here. Once we're in a safe place, I'll show you on a map where all the others are being held."

"All right… and I'll take you back to your father." Link promised. "Maybe he and the other old guys can figure out some way to get rid of this crystal." Sara nodded, and the crystal shrank again, dropping into his hand.

"All right." Link turned. "Let's get out of here, eh, Kiki?" The monkey had watched the conversation without a word, dumbfounded. After a moment, she spoke.

"So… your name's Link, is it…"

"Yeah." Link admitted.

"That… makes things interesting." She shook herself. "All right. Let's get out of here… and quick, kiki. The Eyes will have noticed this… we need to vamoose before they get here, kikiki."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Link turned towards the exit. "Let's move."

"It's raining out now…" Link muttered as he stepped out of the Palace of Darkness. "Like it was on Death Mountain…"

"It ALWAYS rains on Death Mountain, ki." Kiki informed him. "It's a miserable place. Well, this entire world is miserable, but Death Mountain's the worst part of the lot."

"I'll bet." Link agreed. They continued walking, out through the vine maze. There was no trouble; apparently, more minions of Ganon hadn't come in to replace the ones Link had killed yet. "I'm surprised I wasn't set on fire when I was lying outside for a long time… that sun's got to be twice as hot as the one in Hyrule. When it's not pouring, it's barbecue, huh…"

"Oh, those are GOOD days in this hellhole." A new voice called out to him. "You want a bad day, stick around until it starts raining NAILS."

"Nails, shmails." Another one chimed in. "I say the worst is the fish. They can't even be trout or cod; we get PIRANHA. That's just overkill."

"You got something against sea life? I'm hurt." The first voice protested. Link looked around wildly, trying to pinpoint the voices.

"Who are you? WHERE are you?"

"Heh… up here, hero. In the tree." Link stared up into the branches of the closest one. Barely visible through the rain, two small figures were lying on an outstretched branch, gazing down at him through identical dark-tinted glasses that contrasted with their own white color. They were even stranger than the other people Link had met in the Dark World; one was a squid, tentacles folded like a human crossing his arms. The other was a gloved, disembodied hand with its glasses held in the grooves between fingers.

"Yo." The hand gave him a thumbs-up. "What's up, new guy? We've been hearing stories about you, so we figured we'd come down and meet you ourselves."

"Bosses!" Kiki grinned. "I was wondering when you'd show up, ki!"

"These two… are your bosses?" Link stared at the pair of bizarre creatures.

"That's right… we're the leaders of the RAG. Resistance Against Ganondorf. Neosquid and Handy, at your service." The squid uncrossed a tentacle and stuck it out towards Link. Dumbly, Link extended a hand and shook it.

"Hope you don't mind if I don't follow suit… you can see why." Handy shrugged his knuckles. "Enough about us… let's talk about you. Kiki, what's the scoop?"

"He's on the level, guys." Kiki jumped up into the branches next to them. "No question at all… he took down the King Helmasaur."

"Yeah, we figured that." Neosquid raised what would have been an eyebrow if he had HAD eyebrows. "Burned up… looks like something sprained in that arm, at least… and that shield's history. But you're alive. And you rescued the gal?"

"Yeah." Link nodded. "I did. She's fine."

"Well, where is she, then?" Handy inquired. "And don't try to tell us she's invisible. We're not the bad guys, kid… quite the opposite, we're the only friends you're likely to have here."

"She's still in the crystal." Kiki explained. "You can't see her in this weather, but she's there… just shrunk for convenience."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense." Neosquid conceded. "All right, kid. You look beat. What say we take you back to camp so you can conk out? We should move while the rain's on and Vitreous can't see us clear…" Again the would-be eyebrow raise. "Unless Ballio and Brutus were right, and you can get outta this dump?" Link started to reply, but was once again interrupted by a voice he didn't recognize.

"HI, KIDS!" A raucous scream echoed through the area as a nearby cliff face exploded in flames. "Much as I'd like to trail you and find out where your hideout is, I've got strict orders this time!" From the blast, a huge red demon with a psychotic grin emerged. He was wearing white robes with the same insignia on them that had decorated Hyrule Castle Tower. "Who know what time it is? That's right, it's time for a rousing game of the Dark World's national sport, 'Can YOU Outrun The Fireball!' Let's! Find! OUT!" On the last word, he exhaled a massive sphere of flames at the tree. Neosquid, Handy and Kiki all leaped clear as the wood erupted.

"Blind! Figures you'd crash the party!" Handy grunted, landing on his fingertips. "Get moving, kid; you're no match for this guy in the shape you're in! We'll hold him off!"

"Oh, I'm not alone." Blind informed them wickedly. "Let's give a big hand for my lovely co-host! Miss Mothula, come on dooowwwwn!" From the skies, a triple blast of glowing energy fell, carving ditches into the earth and drawing their eyes to a massive winged insect, brightly colored with huge eye marks on her wings.

"You killed the Helmasaur King, I take it…" Mothula hissed. "I spent a lot of time on him… I'll have to take the price of his work out of your hide, boy!"

"She's here too? Well, screw Plan A!" Neosquid yelled. "I hope like hell that you CAN get back to Hyrule, kid, because we need to run too! If you can, DO IT! We'll meet again later!"

"Right!" Link pulled out the Magic Mirror, then paused. "Quick! Sara! Look into this!" He shoved the crystal towards the mirror. For a moment, there was no reaction, and then the crystal shimmered and vanished.

"What are you DOING?" Handy screamed as he, Neosquid and Kiki scrambled for cover. "GO!"

"I am, I am!" Link yelled back, looking into the mirror. As he did, he saw over the top of it that Blind was reaching for him… and then the world faded into white, and a moment later he was standing in Hyrule once more, with Sara floating near him.

"Well." She spoke after a moment. "THAT was interesting."

"Yeah." Link shook his head. "Those two… Blind and Mothula. Eyes of Ganon, both of them. And I'll bet there's at least two more… names I've heard. Arrghus and Vitreous. I've got my work cut out for me… but it looks like I might not be entirely alone on enemy turf after all. The Rag, huh… I just hope those guys make it out of there. For now… let's go back to Kakariko Village again."


	9. Chapter 8: Head Kraken

**_Chapter 8: Head Kraken_**

"Hey, guys." Link greeted the Kakariko Villagers as he walked into the tavern where they had decided to set up their headquarters. "Any luck since last night?"

"Well, yes and no." Aginah sighed. "We've learned a great deal about this strange crystal casing… but it doesn't look like we're any closer to getting her out." The other two elders murmured in agreement.

"Damn… well, at least she's out of Ganon's control." Link sat down on a stool. "And at least Hyrule is, too… for now, anyways…"

Link had been pleasantly surprised to discover the changes made to Hyrule upon his emerging. Those Hylians who had supported Agahnim had been completely cowed by the march on the castle by their neighbors, and said neighbors' alliance with the Bronze Hand thieves and the three terrifying elders had cemented it. With Agahnim gone, Sahasrala, Aginah and Morris steered the direction of Hyrule from their command center in the bar, the largest building in town. It wouldn't last, not forever, but for the time being it kept things stable.

"Sara tells us that one of the girls couldn't stay at Ganon's Tower for long, mm…" Morris told Link. "Apparently, this servant of his, Mothula, claimed something interesting… the energy of the crystals, the magic powering them, and the energy of a force field surrounding the Tower… they conflict. If a crystal remains inside the field for too long… destruction and death, mm."

"So Ganon doesn't want them to die… good news for us." Link smiled.

"That's not all, young man." Morris continued. "Think about it. When they conflict, in the end the crystal loses, being weaker than the field… but if it was the other way around, mm…"

"Whoa whoa whoa." Link held up his hands. "Hold it right there. I'm NOT interested in storming Ganon's Tower. I'm just rescuing the girls… do that, close the gateway and let the Forger rot for another couple thousand years."

"Allow me to finish, mm." Morris chided. "Ahem… as I was attempting to say, do that, and the force field will break instead… however, if we are estimating the strength correctly based on the numbers overheard from Mothula, this would require everything from the crystals… they would be used up, spent, worthless. They would break, but without harming their inhabitants."

"We will continue to attempt to free the girls by our own means, of course." Sahasrala assured Link and his daughter. "But if we fail, then there is a last-ditch resort."

"Good to know, I suppose." Link admitted. "All right, then. We know the Tower of Ganon is corresponding to the location of the Tower of Hera. That leaves the location of the Desert Palace. I should check that out soon. Where's the closest portal to there?"

"Well, our ancestors sealed one away in the desert… but their directions as to its location are vague, and we have been unable to locate it." Aginah sounded irritated at this fact. "However, there is another one relatively close… in the marshes to the south of your home." He paused. "You made a trip back there yesterday, correct? Was everything…"

"It was fine." Link smiled. "The Knights didn't touch a thing… and I was able to drop off my uncle's sword. I kept his sheath for the Master Sword, though… not sure if it's a coincidence or what, but they fit perfectly. The shield's scrapped, though… even Harry says it's beyond repair. Oh well… I'll live."

"Good. Look in those marshes for a small stone ruin… the portal should be directly north of that. Another thing..." Sahasrala glanced out a window. "We had other allies when we attacked the castle, aside from the villagers and the thieves… the King of the Zoras managed to organize his people and join in to avenge Quincy's death."

"Yeah, they were friends, weren't they?" Link remembered.

"Very close." The old man agreed. "And as such, there may be some things the King Zora may be able to tell you that even we do not know. I know that most of the Zoras are only hostile animals now, but their King still retains his mind… you should go to meet him sometime. He lives up in the northwest, at Zora's Waterfall."

"Heh… I always wondered about that place." Another voice cackled. It was one of the villagers; Burt, a man as old as the three Sage descendants, though he contained no mystical bloodline. He and his closest friend, an equally old man named George, spent all their days at the bar now; they hadn't seemed to notice the changes that had come over it, and hadn't bothered anybody, so nobody objected to their remaining in there. "Heard a rumor about that place when I was young, that going up there would turn men into fish… I always wanted to see that, so I went up there. But all I saw aside from lots of Zoras was this beautiful woman… she had wings on her back, like a fairy, but she wasn't tiny like most of them…"

"Huh?" The three sage descendants all stared at him. Morris recovered first. "That… that sounds like one of the Great Fairies!"

"Great Fairies?" Link blinked. "I know about ordinary fairies… you can see them out in the wilderness if you look hard enough… but Great Fairies?"

"The rulers of their kind, mm." Morris explained. "Four fairies of tremendous powers, rivaling even the Sages… but the bulk of their powers were bound to their people and to the wilderness, and so they were unable to confront Ganon directly. However, they did aid your ancestor in his struggles, each bestowing a gift upon them as he met them. If one of them is near Zora's Waterfall, perhaps she will help you as well, Link."

"More and more reason to check this place out." Link stood up. "I'll have to do that after I've checked out the Desert Palace. Speaking of which, I'd better get going on that… I'll see you all later."

"Try to get into contact with those fellows you met over there… the Rag." Sahasrala advised. "If they've been fighting Ganon and his minions for any length of time, there might be plenty they could tell you… not the least of which, where the other girls might be."

"Yeah, I know… problem is, I don't know where to find them. I'll probably run into them sooner or later, though." Link waved as he walked out the door. "See yas." Heading east and then south, he soon found what Sahasrala had told him about; a squat stone staircase leading downwards into some underground area, roofed by an ugly gargoyle. "Right… head north of here…" On the other side of a small pond, he found a suspicious pile of rocks, similar to the one that had hid the portal on Death Mountain near Spectacle Rock. As he expected, the portal was underneath. The Dark World's version of the swamp was murkier and messier, brown and unhealthy-looking. Looking around, Link saw brown creatures resembling acorns hopping around. A creature like a mushroom with wings got too close to one, and the brown hopper opened up its body revealing a froglike pink tongue that pulled in the mushroom. Link winced. "Something tells me I'd better avoid those things…" He looked around further and frowned. In the sky about a mile away, a floating eyeball was watching him. "Better take care of that, too…" Drawing his bow, he fired an arrow that struck the eyeball head-on. Amazingly, it did not die, but turned and fled. "Great. Well, at least it's off my back." Shaking his head, he headed west.

"All right, the passageway should be here…" Link recalled after a short time. He frowned. "But… it's not." Ahead of him was a solid cliff face, extending all the way to the south and the north as far as he could see. "…Damn. Blocked off somehow? Well, however it was done, I'm not getting through there… just great." He sighed. "There goes my only lead until I can find the Rag again." Kicking a rock, he turned around and headed back into the marsh. After walking for a short time, he came across the stone edifice Sahasrala had directed him to again. "Hm… this is here too?" He paused, then shrugged. "What the hell… I've got nothing better to do." He walked down the staircase, looked around, then blinked. "Well. This is unexpected." It was almost like being in the Hylian sewer system again; he was standing above a large chasm in the ground that looked like it was meant to hold running water. A ladder led down into it, and then another one up the other side; however, the second ladder only stretched halfway down the wall, two high for Link to jump up to. "Strange… could this be… another dungeon?" Link slapped his forehead. "GAH! I forgot to have Sara draw the locations of the other girls on my map!" Climbing down into the empty waterway, he saw that one end of it was blocked off by a steel grate, and the other held only a blank wall with a snakelike gargoyle on the wall. "That gargoyle's mouth looks like it's made to open up… but no way to do so." Link sighed. "Nothing I can do here either. Might as well head back… talk to Sara about the map, and the old guys about this place." Emerging back into the marsh, he gazed into the Magic Mirror and vanished. There were a few moments of silence, and then Neosquid spoke.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. He was looking for Vitreous, but he found Arrghus… fair enough, in my book." He and Handy were crawling in the thick marsh grass.

"Can't get in there any better than we could, though." Handy noted. "Wonder when he'll be back. Think we should start preparing for that?"

"Definitely." Neosquid nodded. "Somewhere else, though… after he hit Vitreous' eye like that, either about ten more or Blind himself will be here in about five minutes. Maybe both. Let's vamoose, and we can figure out what we're going to do about this later."

"The Swamp Dungeon?" Sahasrala raised an eyebrow. "I didn't really think it was that important. It showed up in the records of our ancestors about… four hundred years ago, I suppose. There's no mention of it being built… apparently, it just appeared there." He frowned. "There were notes about that being somewhat suspicious, but there's not really much in there."

"So you'd think… but let's go over this a bit more." Link leaned back. "We know that things in the Dark World reflect the shape and form of the Light World. The Tower of Ganon, the Palace of Darkness, that huge Pyramid… and not just the major structures, the landscape was nearly identical… although, of course, twisted."

"Yes, that's what it's like now… although from the REALLY old records we have, it seems that before Ganondorf took it, it was just the opposite… the Sacred Realm was like Hyrule, but instead it was a place of beauty, mm." Morris sighed. "Such a waste."

"Yeah, so what I'm wondering…" Link continued. "What happens if they build a huge dungeon in the Dark World? Something really big, even if it's mostly underground? Would Hyrule change to reflect that, even in small form?"

"It… could be possible, yes." Aginah admitted. "The question is… how deep does this 'mirror effect' go? You said that the Palace of Darkness was sealed off, Link… Sahasrala, you were near the Eastern Palace up until Agahnim ran off. Did you notice anything like that?"

"No-well, maybe…" Sahasrala mused. "I didn't actually go out and look, but there was a strange loud noise a day or two after Link went in there… which could very well been have been a huge stone slab falling into place."

"All right, let's operate on that theory… that major changes in one palace are reflected in another." Link continued. "When I looked in the swamp dungeon over here, there was a switch I found… it opened up the waterway. Good thing there was a bridge in this world, since I swim like an anchor. So, if the changes are reflected, then I could open that up and get into the swamp palace… if I could swim." The three old men looked at each other.

"If you could swim, eh… well, it seems you'll be visiting King Zora even sooner than we thought." Aginah replied after a moment. "He'll be able to help you with that… his line has kept the secret of making the magical Flippers. Using them, any Hylian in the world could swim."

"All right then, course decided." Link stood up. "We know there's a girl in there now, thanks to Sara." He looked at the table on which his map was spread out. "One in there… one in the desert's counterpart, the Misery Mire… one in the Skull Woods… cute name, there… one in the Village of Outcasts… and one in the Ice Palace on Lake Hylia. All five places the home turf of one of the Eyes of Ganon… in this case, the one called Arrghus. I'd better stop by Syrup's and get some potion refills."

"Probably for the best." Sahasrala agreed. "Just head along the riverbank from her place, to the northeast corner of Hyrule."   
The walk to Syrup's was long but peaceful; without the Knights, Hyrule had once again become idyllic. For the moment, at least. Thinking back on the monstrosities he had seen, Link shuddered, imagining the likes of Blind and Mothula loosed on his homeland. "No… that's not going to happen."

"Eh?" A voice replied, sounding half-asleep. "Whuzzat? Whozere?" Link blinked, looking around. He was standing on a bridge crossing the Hylian River, near Lake Hylia. On a hunch, he walked away and looked underneath it. Somebody was down there, sitting next to the remains of a campfire and a rough lean-to. Somebody familiar.

"Simon! Hey, Simon!" Link dropped down onto the tiny ledge that the man was on. "Been ages, man!"

"Huh? Link? That you?" The young man rubbed his eyes. "Well, heck! It is! Never figured I'd meet you out here!"

"Same thing… how long has it been?" Link shook his head. "You just took off one day… we all figured it was the same thing that happened to Mike and Burt, and you wanted to go wander and see Hyrule. Looks like we were right."

"Yup… one day the urge just took me, so I got up and left. Figured the old men'd know." Simon shook his head. "And then one day all this slag with the Knights started happening, and a few months later, I hear you're in a heap of trouble… though that seems to be dying down now."

"Don't count on it." Link shook his head. "Just the calm before the storm… I'm trying to put a stop to it, but if I screw up… well, the trouble with the Knights is going to be nothing compared to what'll show up at Hyrule Castle soon." He paused. "You wouldn't happen to have found a few secret ways out of Hyrule in your travels? Ways that can't be blocked just by setting up border guards?"

"One or two." Simon nodded. "I get your meaning… if I see the sky catch fire, I'll get everybody out of dodge."

"Thanks." Link clapped him on the shoulder. "All of the old gang are still there… well, except for Larry."

"Larry?" Simon frowned. "What happened to him?"

"He disappeared only a little after you did." Link sighed. "I'll be frank… I was kind of hoping he had gone after you, but it doesn't look like that's the case. Any chance you've seen him around Hyrule?"

"No… you're the first person from Kakariko I've seen in years." Simon shook his head. "I'll keep an eye out for him, though… and on the Castle in case all hell breaks loose." He paused. "Is it really that bad, Link?"

"…Yeah. It is." Link looked away. "My uncle's dead, and that's just the beginning of it… you're more right when you know when you say all Hell might break loose." Simon's eyes shifted to the Master Sword, and he nodded.

"Right. I'll get back to Kakariko… wandering is nice, but this takes precedence. Who's in charge there? Old man Sahasrala?"

"Him and two other old guys… they're running things from the bar." Link explained.

"Right." Simon turned and reached into his lean-to. "And here, take this with you… if you're going to take whatever's coming for Hyrule head-on, you'll probably need this." He tossed a glass bottle to Link, who caught it easily. It was filled with a transparent liquid.

"Water?" Link sniffed it, and his eyes narrowed. "Hey… alcohol. Simon…"

"Distilled it myself." Simon grinned. "Go on, take it. Never know when it'll come in handy!" Link rolled his eyes and pocketed the bottle.

"All right. Good to see you again… now I'm off to talk with a Zora. See you later."

"A Zora? Those things can talk?" Simon shook his head. "Well, whatever… see you, man." Walking north, Link soon came to the witch's hut fairly soon.

"Hey, Syrup." Link greeted the old witch.

"Young mister Link… good to see you again." Syrup grinned. "Maple's inside… she will help you as usual."

"Cool." Link started to walk in, then paused. "Oh, actually… you know the area around here. I just go up the coastline to find Zora's Waterfall, right?"

"Heh heh… close." Syrup cackled. "But there are actually two waterfalls there… side-by-side. The one on the right is what you want… the one on the left is the Waterfall of Wishing, where the Great Fairy lives." Link smiled.

"Awesome… I'll have to see her too. Thanks." He stepped inside the hut.

"Aah, Link. Come to sample our wares again?" Maple greeted him. Link nodded.

"Yeah. I'll take one of the red… and better give me one of the green, just in case." He thought about the Ice Rod in his pack. "No telling when I'll need it."

"So you've found some magic, I take it…" Maple guessed, filling the two bottles he handed her. "That will be a hundred and eighty rupees."

"I've found an artifact or two." Link admitted, handing over the gems. "Might find some more soon… who knows. See you around." Waving goodbye to Syrup as well, he continued along the coastline. Before long, he saw the river water stir, and a familiar mug to anybody who traveled near the water in Hyrule popped out. Rumors said that the Zoras had once been creatures of beauty, but if that was the case, it was long, long ago; the fishmen of today were ugly, red-finned and fat-lipped creatures with scales of an unhealthy green tint. Grinning unpleasantly at Link, the Zora spat a fireball and then dived back under. Sighing, Link dodged it easily. The Zoras fired upon all travelers equally without distinction; there was no personal malice behind it, just general hostility and stupidity. Shaking his head, Link avoided several more fireballs until he arrived at his destination; the river's mouth. A pair of massive waterfalls pouring down the face of a titanic cliff. "Wonder if this is part of Death Mountain?" Behind the first, if Link squinted, a small passageway could be seen. The one on the right, however, was clearly visible; it was not a cave that hid behind Zora's Waterfall, but an entire enclosed domain, as open to the sun as the rest of Hyrule. Link looked from one to the other.

"Better see the King first…" He decided at last. "He's who I really came here for, after all." As one would expect, Zora's Domain was a world of water; aside from small areas of heavily forested land, everything was gently running streams. Fortunately for Link, there seemed to be a pathway of shallow water provided for guests without gills that he could walk along with sinking higher than his knees. "I wonder if they'll stop bugging me now that I'm here to see the King, or just get even more hostile now that I'm on their home turf…" In front of him, he saw a Zora jump onto the shallow trail and advance, grinning angrily. "Guess that answers that." His hand strayed to the Master Sword, then dropped. "No… that'd be dumb. No better way to piss the King off than to kill his buddies here. MAN, I wish my boomerang hadn't broken… what else do I have that's non-lethal?" He searched his bag quickly as the Zora approached. "Ice Rod and this Magic Powder from Hazel… that's it. Let's hope this works…" He fired the Ice Rod, and the Zora's expression changed to surprise as the magic hit it square in the chest, then expanded outward to cover every inch of its body.

"Sorry, buddy. It'll wear off eventually if you stay in the sun long enough." Link paused. "I hope so, anyways." Shrugging, he went on. Unfortunately, that was not the only Zora to cross his path; many more attempted to bar his way, and Link was forced to freeze them all as he continued on his way. Eventually, even that failed, as he once again felt a strange tiredness even though his body was fine. "Out of magic again… I'll have to try this powder." The next Zora to cross his path received a dash of the glowing dust in the face. It sneezed a fireball, then groaned as it turned inward, arms and legs vanishing, head and torso combining… and hitting the ground was not a Zora, but a small brown sluglike creature with strings of purple hair and large, extremely confused eyes. Link winced. "Yeesh… poor guy. Hope that's reversible." Walking past the evolutionary train wreck, he made a left turn and stared up at another waterfall. As he looked at it, he saw a stirring in the water. A rumbling began, and a six-foot whirlpool appeared… and from it, a Zora's head larger than Link's entire body emerged, with the biggest grin of all adorning it.

"WA HA HA!" The Zora King boomed. "So you're the little man my children have told me about! You've got some guts, Hylian, coming onto our turf and then doing such things to my kind!" Link quickly bowed.

"Forgive me, King… I needed to talk with you, and they were intent on attacking me. I tried my hardest to use methods that wouldn't be permanent."

"So I heard!" The King agreed. "That's why I decided to try talking too; I figured that might be the case. Don't worry, they'll all defrost soon enough. Even that last one will be right as rain after I take him to the Waterfall of Wishing, though I'll bet HE'll never attack a Hylian for the rest of his life." He raised an eyebrow. "What did you DO to him?"

"Aha… a little magic powder from a witch named Syrup who lives nearby." Link explained.

"Oh, her." King Zora blew a little water. "Yes, my children don't go near her… they learn fast when the lesson is 'Don't get yourself turned into a toad.' So, little man… you needed to see me?"

"Yeah." Link decided to go for broke. "I understand one of your ancestors… was a good friend of one of mine. My name's Link… and I need the help of the Zora King once more."

"Link?" King Zora raised another scaly eyebrow. "As in… well, now. This IS an interesting turn of events… would you be the one responsible for getting rid of the Wizard Agahnim?"

"Indeed I was." Link replied grimly. "I know a friend of yours was killed by him… one called Quincy. There's nothing I can do about that… but Quincy's daughter is still alive. She's in the Dark World… and I plan to rescue her, and the other girls taken by Agahnim." King Zora stared at him, then laughed again.

"WA HA HA! Ballsy, kid! With that kind of attitude, you might just do it, too!" He smiled, a little subdued. "I think I like you, little man… you were right, by the way. My ancestor and yours were great friends… and I don't just mean the King of the time period. Quincy was descended from the Sage of Water… and so am I."

"Her name was… Ruto, wasn't it?" Link wondered.

"You've got it!" King Zora nodded. "And the thing is… she and the Hero of Time were once engaged to be married." Link choked.

"WHAT!"

"WA HA HA!" King Zora chortled. "Don't have a heart attack, little man… nothing came of it. At least… nothing we know about." His grin grew wider. "That's the one matter that nobody… not history, not the sage descendants, not me… knows. Who the Hero of Time ended up with. The Sages of Time, Forest, Water and Spirit were all recorded as being interested in him… and there was even supposedly a farm girl who wasn't part of the major struggle."

"…I see my ancestor was quite the ladies' man." Link observed dryly. "Wonder how he found the time to save Hyrule." _And it just figures I don't have any memories of THAT at all accessible,_ he thought to himself. _Remember what you need to know, my ass._

"Seems that way." King Zora chuckled. "So, then… tell me. How exactly can I help you?"

"I've heard you have something called the Flippers that can help even a sinker like me swim." Link explained. "One of the girls in the Dark World is in a dungeon of water."

"So you need the Flippers to get in and rescue her." King Zora nodded. "Fair enough. I'll even give them to you on credit." Link blinked.

"Credit?"

"Of course!" The Zora King seemed to be reaching around for something under the water. "You don't think these things go for free, do you? They're incredibly difficult to make. The price has been set for hundreds of years… five hundred rupees." One of Link's eyes twitched a little. "But like I said, I like you, little man… and I do wish for Quincy's daughter's freedom. So you can have the flippers now, and pay me back once you're done with all your adventuring." A hand emerged from the water and casually tossed something at Link.

"I appreciate it, your majesty." Link caught the Flippers and examined them. They were kind of like shoes, obviously meant to be worn on the feet, but they were long, flat and finned. "Thank you… oh. I'd like to see the Great Fairy too… will she just be in the Waterfall of Wishing?"

"No, you have to know how to get her to pay attention… I'll come with you and introduce you." The Zora King decided. "I need to change Bob here back, after all." He raised his other hand, gently holding the Zora Link had transformed. It stared at him with eyes like a cornered rabbit.

"Aheh… all right." Link chuckled, turning around and walking. "At least your people won't attack me any more if you're here too, right?"

"Correct." King Zora sighed, a bit sadly. "We weren't always like this, you know… in the time of your ancestor, the Zoras were a species of intelligence, beauty and grace."

"So I've heard." Link paused. "I don't mean to sound rude, but… what happened? I mean…"

"No, I know… I, of all people, must face up to the truth about my kind." King Zora admitted. "You have noticed that the other species, aside from the Hylians, no longer live within Hyrule. This is because they departed… a mass exodus, hundreds of years ago. The Kokiri, the Gorons, the Sheikah, the Gerudo and the Zoras… they all set off to find groups of their kind living on other lands. We had heard of them… Termina, Holodrum, Labrynna… and so they went, most of the species leaving only their Sages and a few others behind. These few married Hylians, and their children did as well, and over time their lines became completely Hylian with no physical traces remaining of their non-Hylian ancestry." He sighed again. "But the Zoras were proud… within their ranks was a movement of some who would not leave Hyrule. They believed this land to be their permanent home, their only home, and they refused to depart, or to join the Hylian population. The leader of this movement was the brother of the current sage descendant… and in refusing the will of Hyrule, he cut himself off from that line, and doomed his followers."

"A curse?" Link wondered.

"Nothing so exotic…" King Zora sighed. "You see, this was a small movement… most of the Zoras followed the will of their leader, and left. All that remained were a few, who believed themselves destined to, alone, return the Zora species to its former numbers in Hyrule. Instead… they inbred themselves into what you see today. I am the only one left of my kind capable of conscious thought… my Zoras are all no more gifted than the beasts of the wild, and the buried memories of what they once were causes a great anger in each of them, so that they strike out at the Hylians who still possess their intelligence. And once I am gone…" He shook his head. "Ah well, nothing I can do about that. Here we are…" Link and the King walked out from behind Zora's Waterfall and over to the next one. "Right… time to say hello." Opening his maw wide, the Zora King began singing, a strange, eerie melody. It was a high-pitched screech, and yet there was a definite tune there… something that stirred a memory in Link. _The tune… of the royal family?_ When the tune was done, King Zora waited… and after a moment, something emerged from the waterfall.

"King Zora, my friend… only you could mangle the song like that." The Great Fairy smiled gently as she floated out. Link forced himself not to stare; she was at least twelve feet tall, wearing a long green dress that reached below her feet. A pair of golden wings, like a butterfly's, held her in the air, and her long brown hair had a crown of flowers in it. Burt had been right, she was beautiful, but it was a strange, alien kind of beauty; something in her eyes reminded Link that she was not even remotely human. "Hm… and who is your friend?"

"My name's Link, ma'am." Link bowed again.

"Link… it's good to see you again." She smiled at his surprised expression. "You think I wouldn't recognize you? It must have been so long for you…but for me, the passage of a few hundred years is as nothing. I still remember the last time I helped you, deep inside Death Mountain. I am the Great Fairy of Wisdom, Link… and I think that you need my help again."

"Any that you can give." Link slowly nodded.

"Let me see here…" She thought about it. "Hm… I know. I see that you have damaged some of your equipment."

"Well, yes." Link nodded. "My shield and my boomerang… both belonged to my Uncle Albert."

"That explains it… I felt something in them that suggested that their loss meant more to you than normal items would." The Fairy explained. "Well, then… I shall repair them for you." She extended a hand, and Link's shield and boomerang floated towards it, settling in her palm. "Repair, and more…" The broken places began glowing with white light, and then the rest of them did as well. When the light faded, the shield's size was twice as large as it had been before, and both it and the boomerang were a deep red. "They have been filled with my magic now, and will serve you better than before." They floated back down to Link, who claimed them.

"Thank you." He smiled.

"It was the least I could do to aid the one who would save all of Hyrule." The Great Fairy assured him. "You should seek out my remaining colleague… the Great Fairy of Power." Link blinked.

"Remaining…? I remember… four of you?" King Zora attempted to shush him, but the Great Fairy waved him down.

"It was a fair question… indeed, there were once four of us, Link. But the Great Fairy of Courage was close to ground zero when Ganondorf was banished to the Sacred Realm… the foolish girl apparently thought that the Sacred Realm would need one of our kind, and tagged along. She is lost there, and we have not heard from her since. As for the Great Fairy of Magic… she was far older than the rest of us. Some time ago… a change came over her. Her age caused something to go wrong in her mind… I believe this happens often in elderly mortals, but never to us… until then. She is… lost to us." She sighed. "And so only me and the Great Fairy of Power remain." Link slowly nodded.

"So I see… I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault… and you have other things to think of." She smiled again. "Go, hero… save Hyrule once more. If the Evil King returns, my people shall suffer as well… as we did for your ancestor, the fairies of Hyrule will aid you. Any of them you meet will heal your wounds. Good luck, Link." Link nodded, bowed again and began to walk away, listening to the Great Fairy and the Zora King converse. "So then, what can I do for YOU today, hm?"

"Well, Bob here needs some help with a little practical joke that kid who just left pulled…"

In the darkness and gloom far below the Dark World… something stirred. Arrghus slowly drifted over to a wall with a crystal panel set in it. The crystal began glowing with an unearthly light, and then displaying something… somewhere… else. Another underground dungeon, even darker but not quite as damp. After a moment, a manlike creature with the head of a horse peered onscreen.

"Lady Arrghus… the boss still hasn't returned from the master's Tower."

"I see…" Arrghus sighed. "Very well." The crystal went dim again, then sprung to life once more, showing Blind, back to the panel and working on something. Hearing a noise, he turned his head around fully backwards to look, then followed suit with his body.

"Oh, hey Arrghus. What's up?"

"Thought I'd call and see how you were doing." Arrghus shrugged. "What's up?"

"Eh… not too much." Blind glanced behind him. "Big G's sleeping right now… you heard about what happened to him?"

"I heard." Arrghus winced. "Vitreous told me. Beaten up by some punk kid, then bouncing all the way down the Pyramid… ouch."

"Aah, he'll be fine once he gets back to his old self again." Blind winked. "The kid only beat him 'cause he was borrowing that shmuck's body… once he's got all his old mojo going for him, we'll be peeling that punk off the ground with a spatula." He paused. "Or maybe not. I've always wanted to try that whole paving-your-streets-with-the-bones-of-your-enemies bit."

"It's probably overrated." Arrghus guessed dryly. "Although it would fit the décor of this place."

"Exactly what I was thinking!" Blind cackled. "I should start a magazine or something. Blind's Decorative Tips Using 300 Common Body Parts! It'd sell like the bug-cakes on main street!"

"Only because you'd set anybody who didn't buy one on fire." Arrghus snickered.

"The best way to do business!" Blind proclaimed. "Anyways, money-making schemes aside…" His voice dropped a little. "You okay, Arrghus? We all kinda worry about you sometimes." Arrghus blinked.

"You… do?"

"You get depressed, you know?" Blind turned his head on one side; despite his maniac grin, he sounded subdued now. "Especially now that Kholdstare's gone off by himself again."

"I do worry about what our master will do when he regains his full powers." Arrghus admitted. "He let Kholdstare live the last time he tried this… and Kholdstare just did it again as soon as the master couldn't stop him any more. But when he can…"

"I don't think Big G will kill your brother, Arrghus… he needs you and Vitreous too much to risk alienating you like that." Blind predicted. "Me and Mothula wouldn't exactly be pleased either. And Kholdstare can still be of use to him too, once he's… well, tamed is the only way I can think to put it. Sorry."

"It applies, I suppose…" Arrghus admitted. "Brother was always too stubborn to know what was good for him… even before… well…" Her single eye grew distant. "You've only been here for ten years, Blind, so you probably don't feel the same yet, but… to the three of us, our time before the Dark World seems like different lives altogether. Different people. Probably even moreso to Mothula."

"No, I know how you feel…" Blind agreed. "Me and the boys… we all do. This place changes people… and not just physically. I'm not the same Blind I was in Hyrule… and you're not the same… whatever you called yourself there. Don't try to tell me Kholdstare, Vitreous and Arrghus are given names… they're not, any more than Mothula was."

"No…" Arrghus admitted. "But new lives seemed to call for new names… you didn't change yours, though."

"Well, otherwise I wouldn't fit in with the whole 'Eyes of Ganon' theme." Blind argued. "I mean, Mothula's got the marks on her wings, and you three are obvious, no offense… but all I've got to tie in with the group's theme is my name."

"It's just fine." Arrghus chuckled a bit. "So… speaking of Mothula. Is she still there too?"

"No, Big G sent her back to the Skull Forest to continue working on her big project." Blind explained. "She says it's going great… maybe one, two more attempts and she'll have it working."

"Good." Arrghus snorted. "We were running out of souls to use."

"Ah, we'll be fine." Blind waved a huge hand casually. "You worry too much."

"It's my nature." Arrghus admitted. "I always was the one who had to, you know… neither of my brothers are what you'd call careful."

"Don't think too much about the past, Arrghus." Blind warned her. "It's over now. It's done. We've been here far too long… changed too much. Like you said, who you are now is not who you were. That person died when you fell through that portal and came out the other side in a form strong enough to attract Big G's interest."

"I know, but…" Arrghus looked away. "Do you ever wonder, Blind… what your life would have been like if you hadn't come here? If you had stayed in Hyrule?"

"My life?" Blind shook his head. "It sucked, Arrghus… everybody in Hyrule hated us, and for good reason. I'd have given myself about six more months before those old guys I didn't know about at the time finally got fed up, revealed themselves and either ran us out of Hyrule or blew us to smithereens. Instead, I got a new body, and a new life… granted, with drawbacks, but I can live with them." He glanced sidelong at her. "Yours wasn't so bad, though, was it?"

"No." Arrghus agreed. "Not at all. But like you said, what's done is done. Concentrate on the present… that kid."

"Yeah." Blind nodded. "Be careful, Arrghus… remember, Vitreous said he was snooping around your place earlier." Simultaneously, from behind the two of them, a door slammed open, and they both turned around to regard identical floating eyeballs. "Hey, Vitreous! What-"

"No time for chatter!" Vitreous yelled, sounding strangely fearful. "We've got to get down to the Ice Palace, NOW!"

"What for?" Blind blinked.

"It's that IDIOT Handy!" Vitreous explained. "He's down there, and he's chucking bombs down the palace!" Blind and Arrghus both went pale.

"Is he TRYING to commit suicide!" Blind screamed. "Shit! No, you stay there, Arrghus; you've got to be there if the punk comes barging in! Me and Vitreous'll deal with this!"

"Just hurry!" Arrghus urged them. "Kholdstare could go off at any minute!" Blind and Vitreous both nodded, and the grinning demon rushed off along with both eyes, leaving Arrghus alone in the dark once more.

"All right, the water's flowing again." Link grunted, emerging from the Swamp Dungeon in the Light World. "Now to see if my theory paid off." Crossing over to the Dark World through the portal in the north, he returned to the Swamp Palace and entered. The chasm was filled with flowing water. "Yes… I was right." He jumped in. "Flow's a bit strong, but I can handle it… these Flippers are great."

"Hey, kid, thanks a lot for that." A voice behind him grumbled. "I tell you, when I woke up this morning I said to myself, 'Boy, I hope I get plastered against a metal grate by rushing water. That would really make my day.' And I'm really grateful to you for that." Turning around, Link saw a white squid swimming effortlessly behind him, holding its dark glasses on with one tentacle.

"Hey… you're that guy… Neosquid." Link remembered, clambering up on the other side of the waterway. "What're you doing here?"

"Checking this place out… it's Arrghus' home turf. Look out, water spirit." Diving past Link, Neosquid jumped on an enemy that had been flying towards him; a blob of water surrounded by rotating bubbles, flying around a foot above the shallow pool of water in the floor. Something glinted in a tentacle, and the water blob splattered into nothingness. "Come on, let's go down to the next floor before it comes back. I hate those things."

"They regenerate?" Link inquired.

"Yeah… as long as there's water around they'll just animate it again." Neosquid grumbled.

"Hold on… I might have an idea. Let me try this…" Link watched as an identical shape formed out of the water and started moving. As soon as it was fully formed, he nailed it with the Ice Rod. "There. Now, let's see if another one comes out…" It didn't. "Thought so. It's stuck in there."

"Now THAT'S a handy trick." Neosquid admitted. "What's the catch?"

"I can only do it a certain number of times." Link explained. "So I should save it for when we need it."

"Fair enough." The squid nodded. "So, what're you here for? As if I really have to ask."

"Rescuing the girl, and most likely killing this Arrghus." Link shrugged. "All in a day's work."

"Heh… so you say. But I think I'll tag along, just in case." Neosquid looked around the damp room. "At least you won't have to worry about any of the other Eyes ambushing you down here… my partner's distracting them."

"Handy?" Link remembered.

"Yup. We saw you nosing around here and figured you'd be coming back for a more serious hit soon." He pointed a tentacle at a small box on the floor with openings in the four cardinal directions. "Watch out for those… security devices set to fire if they detect anybody swinging a blade in the room."

"Blades only?" Link looked around as several Biri floated towards him. "Fair enough." He pulled out his bow and arrows and shot them all down. Neosquid nodded.

"Smooth."

"I was considering using my boomerang, but then I realized what would happen if any of them weren't KO'd completely and turned on the juice after they fell in the water." Link indicated the ankle-deep liquid that covered this room as well. "Is this stuff everywhere here?"

"Well, this IS the Swamp Palace." Neosquid reminded him. "Arrghus likes water. I never did before I got trapped here… when I saw what I got turned into, I was NOT happy. At least I got off better than poor Handy."

"Why a squid, if you hate water?" Link raised an eyebrow.

"If you must know, I was a thief." Neosquid admitted. "I was nicknamed Eight-Hands."

"Funny." Link shook his head. "I've heard of the Bronze Hands, and the Black Eyes… but never heard anything about you."

"Yeah, well…" Neosquid shrugged. "It was… a while ago. Hm… another empty channel." They looked down into it. "At least there's a ladder on the other side low enough for us to climb up… and yet, another one that we can't."

"So logically, that one we can reach will get us access to a switch to fill the channel… so we can get to that other one, which will take us closer to the core of this place." Link climbed down and then up on the other side, followed by Neosquid. "And since it's this obvious, said switch will be heavily guarded."

"Of course." Neosquid shrugged. "The Eyes didn't get their jobs for Ganon by making it easy. Oh, great, Metal Moles." A line of the creatures was between them and a large lever. "I hope Kiki wasn't exaggerating when she reported that you had a way past them… otherwise, we're stuck."

"No, I've got it." Link pulled the Magic Hammer out of his pack. Neosquid's eyes widened behind his glasses.

"Now that's something."

"Glad you approve." Link smashed the Moles down, then shoved the lever into activation, causing the sound of rushing water to be heard. "Seems like it worked." Returning to the previous room, they dropped into the water, scaled the higher ladder and went on. "By the way… I noticed you don't seem to have a problem with saying Ganon's name. Ballio, Brutus and Kiki did."

"Eh, it's a superstition." Neosquid grumbled. "Something about saying the guy's name attracts his attention. Me and Handy figure it's a load of manure, but the others… ah, well. You'd think they'd figure they were being watched enough already with Vitreous around. Hoo boy… this looks fun." They had emerged in a huge chamber , filled with many shallow water rushing along from many openings in the wall and into grates in the floor, in a criss-cross pattern. Many balconies and a central island rose up on a higher level. On the island was a huge chest; and beyond it, on the north balcony, a locked door.

"We'll need a master key to open those." Link mused.

"Yeah… this room's basically the center of the complex." Neosquid pulled out a piece of paper from somewhere Link couldn't see and unfolded it. "We can go either west or south… it looks like there's a lot more rooms west."

"Is that a map of this place?" Link inquired. "West sounds good to me."

"West it is then… and yeah. We've got 'em for all of the Eyes' hideouts… took 'em off of subordinates of theirs." Neosquid explained as they swam through another, thankfully already filled, channel of water. Climbing out on the other side, they walked up a set of stairs. "Back to the top floor for one big room only… let's hope the key's up here." He winced as they saw what awaited them. "Well, SOMETHING had better be up here, anyways…" The large room had a security device in every corner, and in the center, a chain of endlessly burning fireballs swung around a block in a clockwise circuit. And as if that wasn't enough, the water began stirring, and water spirits began bouncing around everywhere. "Damn! One, two, three… gah, I can't count 'em! There's too many! I think this is a 'really need to' situation, kid!"

"I'm on it." Pulling out the Ice Rod, Link froze them, one by one. As it turned out, there were five of them; those, along with a couple of misses, had him fairly mentally exhausted by the time he was done. "Phew… looks like I made the right choice buying this stuff." He drank the green potion and sighed as the exhaustion faded.

"Some kind of magic restoring potion?" Neosquid inquired as the hero put the bottle away.

"Exactly." Link nodded. "Now, let's see here… ah, there's a chest… and what do you know, the key's inside!" He took it, and the two of them headed back to the central chamber. "I do have to wonder what's to the south, though."

"Probably just a runaround." The squid shrugged. "Let's see what's in the BIG chest now!"

"All righty…" Opening it, Link drew out the contents, and his companion looked confused.

"What the heck is this? Some kind of grappling tool?"

"It's… the hookshot…" Link murmured, examining it. A pointed steel head attached to a length of chain, which led into the wooden handle with the trigger. "My old hookshot… good to see it's still in shape…" Neosquid looked even more confused now.

"You… feeling all right, kid? Hit your head, by any chance?"

"No, I'm just fine… and I remember how to use this." Link pointed the hookshot at the wooden frame of the locked door. "Hold on tight…" Grabbing one of Neosquid's tentacles with his free hand, he fired the hookshot. The anchor head shot forward like an arrow and dug deep into the wood, then pulled the handle to it across the gap, hauling Link and Neosquid along as if they weighed nothing.

"Whoa." The squid muttered, after steadying himself and holding a tentacle to his… well, to the spot above his eyes. "Interesting gizmo there… might come in handy against Arrghus." He drew out his map again as they entered the next room and saw five identical waterfalls pouring from the maws of wall gargoyles, side by side. "Hmph… this map says all five hide passageways going to the last rooms, but I wouldn't bet a green rupee on that. What'd be the point? No, my money's on only one going forward, and the rest being trapped or leading elsewhere."

"Let's split up, then." Link decided. "Whatever you find, meet back here in five minutes." Neosquid nodded and took the second from the right, while Link decided on the farthest to the left. As it turned out, neither of his companion's guesses was correct; the tunnel simply dead-ended after several turns. When he returned, there was no sign of Neosquid. "Guess he hasn't come back yet… eh?" There were low noises coming from a grate in the wall. "Voices…?"

"Well, well, Neosquid. Fancy meeting you here." An alien voice, gurgling and hissing.

"Arrghus." Neosquid's voice now. "Hey, babe. Fancy some tentacle-on-tentacle action?"

"Why Neosquid… I didn't know you CARED!" As Arrghus yelled the last word, Link was already running towards the waterfall his companion had taken.

"I just hope I'm not too late…" Dropping down another floor, he leaped into a fast-moving stream of water and let it carry him until he saw the door and scrambled up onto the land in front of it. Hanging above it was the fossilized, preserved husk of a jellyfish. Ignoring it, Link burst into the final room of the Swamp Palace. Like most of the others before it, it was covered in an ankle-deep pool of water. What attracted Link's attention, however, was a huge mass of… things. Soft, squishy blobs, clustering in one huge mass and twitching slightly, hovering above the water. From that cluster, a bunch of thin, ropy tendrils dangled down… and among them was the defeated Neosquid, grimly clutching daggers in several tentacles.

"Sorry, kid… she jumped me…" He croaked.

"Drop him, Arrghus." Link snarled. "NOW."

"So, you know my name…" The voice he had heard earlier came from the center of the cluster. "Fair enough, since I know yours… Link, I believe. I'm afraid I can't comply with your request…" As she spoke, the tentacles began pulling Neosquid up into the mass. "This punk's right below you on Dark World's Most Wanted. If you want him back… TAKE him back."

"Count on that!" Link yelled, charging, Master Sword raised. He hit Arrghus with a massive overhead swing… and the sword slid off, doing no damage to the blobs. "Huh?"

"Ha… as long as my babies are one with me, neither of us can be harmed!" Arrghus crowed, slamming the entire mass into him bodily. "Our magical auras combine, protecting us! You made a mistake in underestimating Arrghus of the Eyes of Ganon!" Link grunted and aimed a different weapon.

"Well then, I'll just have to break up the act, won't I?" The hookshot sprung out, and dug into one of the blobs slightly, oh-so-slightly… but it was enough to pull the blob away from Arrghus, and towards Link. As soon as it left the cluster, its normal red color faded to a dead white. Taking that as a key, Link sliced it in half. "Bingo!"

"You DARE!" Arrghus bellowed, charging like a bull. Link waited until the last moment, sidestepped and drew out another blob, which he killed like the first. Her next scream cut off quickly into a low growl.

"You want to get my babies away from me? Fine… take ALL of them!" The blobs began moving faster, and then in a blast of speed they burst outward, rotating Arrghus in a complete circle. Link was slammed into a wall, but even as he was he fired the hookshot and pulled another one to him. Doing so revealed a flash of white near the bottom, and Link concentrated his targeting there until Neosquid was revealed. He charged in and sliced at the tentacles, hoping to free his comrade, but once again even the Master Sword had no effect. He jumped back barely in time to avoid a repeat hit from the circle storm attack, and this time he got a look at Arrghus revealed; a bull-sized jellyfish with red, rubbery skin. Her most dominant feature, however, was a single golden eye that took up most of the front of her body. The eye glared at him as the blobs closed over it and Arrghus resumed her chase of him, but Link stayed one step ahead of her at all times, pulling the blobs off and killing them one by one. Finally, the last one fell, and Link hacked at her tentacles. This time, they gave with a screech, and Neosquid fell from them onto the floor. Howling, Arrghus launched herself straight up into the darkness above them. Link stared up.

"Running away?"

"No…" Neosquid moaned. "Look out…" Link dived away as the massive mollusk slammed back down where he had been a moment before. The shockwave as she hit knocked him off his feet, and sent the nearby Neosquid slamming into a wall. Arrghus, however, did not pause, but began blasting around like some kind of motor-powered vehicle, blazing a trail through the water. Link stood fearlessly in her path, striking with the Master Sword as she bore down on him like a tidal wave. The blade sunk into her rubbery flesh even as she smashed him forward, then leaped again. Link scrambled away, turned and slashed, and again she continued forward to run him down, taking the hit from the sword before jumping once more

"Come on!" Arrghus taunted as she landed with another shockwave and launched into movement once more. "We'll see who wears out first!"

"Got a point…" Link growled, downing his only bottle of red medicine. "But I've got more tricks up my sleeve!" He pulled out the Ice Rod and fired it. The cloud of blue sparkles covered Arrghus' bulk with a thin coating of ice, and she laughed.

"Idiot, did you really think that would do much against ME?"

"Not much, but enough!" Link fired again and again, and with each additional layer of ice Arrghus' speed slowed a little more. When he judged it to be enough, he ran forward and began striking repeatedly, hacking and slashing at the vulnerable enemy. Arrghus attempted to get away, but the ice held her down too much, and she could not get enough momentum to hit Link with much force. Finally, she collapsed, bleeding from all over her body.

"I…" She hissed. "I didn't want… to die like this. Why… what did I do… to deserve this? To be consigned to this hell… with my brothers? You who serve the Sages… why couldn't they save us?" Link approached her.

"You… blame the Sages for what happened to you?" He wondered.

"Their descendants…" Arrghus snarled. "Their job was supposed to be to watch the Dark World… and yet, my brothers and I fell into it without a word of warning! We've been here for five hundred years, and all we've had was each other! And now YOU come to rescue girls who haven't even known a year in this hellhole, who haven't even had to have their human forms ripped from them forever? Simply because they come from the families of the Sages? Is THAT what matters to you, HERO!" With an effort born of pure rage, she smashed her way free from the ice and lunged at him, slamming him into a wall. As she charged, intent on smearing him against it, Link pulled something out of his pack.

"It's not my job to judge such things… but I know something that can." He shoved the Magic Mirror at Arrghus' eye. "Look in here… and see if you really DO deserve to return to Hyrule!" Arrghus stared into the mirror for a moment, frozen in shock… and then she screamed and fell back, writhing, as wisps of smoke came from her eye.

"It hurts… burns!"

"As I thought…" Link stood over her. "That Mirror only allows those who deserve to return to Hyrule its grace… those who belong here, it punishes for their attempt. You may not have deserved coming here… but like you said, that was five hundred years ago, and you've changed too much… you've truly become the monster your appearance shows."

"Arrghus." Neosquid muttered, crawling over as well. "Nobody made you ally yourself with Ganon. You could have done what we did… stood up to him. But you were too weak to do so… strong in form, weak in spirit. When your spirit gave in and you chose to serve somebody you knew was evil, you made the destruction of your body as well inevitable. And in the process, you corrupted yourself… corrupted your soul."

"I didn't… want to…" Arrghus sobbed.

"But you did." Link raised the Master Sword. "But Arrghus… it's over now. All of it is over. Sleep." The sword descended, and the light in Arrghus' eye went out. Link turned to Neosquid.

"You going to be okay?"

"Squids heal fast." Neosquid shrugged. "And it looked worse than it really is. I'll be right as rain tomorrow. But before that… we've got company." Looking away from Arrghus' mangled corpse, they watched the crystal fall from the ceiling, and then enlarge. Link had never seen the girl inside before, but judging from her skin tone, he hazarded a guess as to her identity.

"Are you Aginah's daughter?"

"I am Nina, yes… that is correct." The girl nodded. "Thank you, Link and…" She frowned. "Mister… octopus."

"Mister OCTOPUS?" Neosquid stared at her over the tops of his dark glasses. "Excuse ME!"

"Let it lie." Link muttered to him. "Ahem… we're glad you're all right. Your father will be happy to see you returned to him."

"He lives, then…" Nina let out a sigh of relief. "I had worried for him after I was taken by Ganon… that evil man's power is truly incredible."

"Maybe so, but he hasn't had access to the majority of it for a while." Neosquid explained. "Not sure why, but that's the reason he's had to rely on the Eyes so much recently… and the reason guys like us can exist without getting blown away as soon as we make a peep."

"So I see… then we must hope he does not regain full control of it, or we are all lost." Nina shook her head. "Even one segment of the Triforce will attempt to grant, if only in part, the wishes of whoever bears it, as long as that person lives." She chuckled bitterly. "And, of course, the one who discovered it was Ganondorf the bandit king… that's the way this world goes."

"It's not always bad." Link objected. "There's the barrier… Ganon couldn't get back to Hyrule."

"Yes, until it started cracking." Nina sighed, then smiled. "But even that has an upside, I suppose… you can use those portals to your advantage, and pop in when and where the Evil King's forces aren't expecting you. Use every advantage you have, Link… it's the only way you can stop Ganondorf… no, Ganon… now." She shrank back to her pocket-sized form, and the three of them turned towards the exit.

"So… now what?" Link asked as they neared the entrance.

"Now, we get back to Resistance Base." Neosquid decided. "It's south of the Village of Outcasts… underneath the shooting gallery. Let's go back there and exchange stories… there's a lot we can tell you about the Dark World, but I get the feeling you've got an even bigger doozy of a story to tell US."

"Fair enough." Link nodded as they emerged out into the sunlight. "Lead the way, then-WHOA!" He, Nina and Neosquid all dived aside as a fireball slammed into the spot where they had been a moment before.

"Awww, almost got you!" Blind cackled, grinning as wide as ever… but his eyes were burning with anger. "What say we play a game in memory of my good buddy Arrghus? I like to call it 'taxidermy while still alive!' ANY TAKERS!" He continued to belch fireballs as, from above, another threat manifested itself.

"BASTARDS!" Vitreous screamed much less eloquently as a cluster of ten, then fifteen, then even more eyeballs swooped down like a swarm of insects. "You killed my sister… I'll kill YOU! You'll be screaming for merciful death by the time I'm through with you!"

"Aw geez, not this again!" Neosquid yelped, diving away into the swamp grass. "Get out of here, kids, and meet me later!"

"Wait!" Link called as he pulled the Mirror out for Nina to gaze into. "You can come too!"

"No, I'm good!" Neosquid called back. "I've been dodging these dolts for decades! Just get out of here before they rip you to shreds!" Link started to protest more, then winced as the eyes of Vitreous slammed into him en masse.

"KILL KILL KILL!" Vitreous screamed, and Link struggled to bring the Mirror to his face. He managed to do so, and as the Dark World faded to white, the last thing he heard was the disappointed screams of the Eyes of Ganon.


	10. Chapter 9: Drawn To The Flame

**_Chapter 9: Drawn To The Flame_**

"Shooting Gallery… this has to be the place." Link frowned, glancing up at the building south of the Village of Outcasts. Assuming that it would be in the same geographical location as Kakriko from the name had paid off. Knocking on the door, Link jumped back as somebody grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.

"Be more careful!" A man with the head of a woolly ram hissed, locking the door. "Don't you know that the Village is Blind's main hangout? He patrols past here all the time, and almost everybody else there reports to him anyways!"

"Sorry…" Link apologized, looking around. "At least I knew enough to take out the eye Vitreous had watching me before coming here. Man, he looked angry." The belts behind the counter were inactive at the moment, but the targets on them were still clearly visible… and identifiable. The closer belt held replicas of Handy, and the farther one of Neosquid.

"Wrong." The ram chided him again. "You took out ONE of his eyes. He got another one on you ten minutes later. Just be lucky WE were watching for you too; Birdbrain took care of it."

"You guys know what you're doing, all right." Link admitted. "Hiding out here, for one… I'm guessing this place's cover is anti-Resistance?"

"Why do you think they look like us?" Neosquid chuckled, popping out from underneath a floorboard. "Blind himself is actually a regular patron of this place… usually after we've done something to really cheese him off. And he's never once suspected that this might be where the REAL us are hiding… he thinks Ramses here is a buddy of his. Come on down, kid." Nodding, Link walked down a set of stairs concealed beneath the trick board. Underneath the small shooting gallery was a much larger area; the hall had to have more than a dozen doors going off on each side. Another familiar face was waiting for them there.

"Hail the conquering hero." Handy greeted the young warrior. "Everybody else is in the meeting room… let's go." The four of them entered a large meeting room dominated by a round table, covered in battle plans, maps, and other paperwork. Sitting in various chairs around it were a truly motley assortment of creatures, most of which were known to Link already; Ballio, Brutus and Kiki all waved to Link (well, the former wiggled a foot). The only three he didn't recognize were a large-eyed bird, a squat brown toad and a green creature with a huge green snout-mouth, like an anteater's. Glancing at the table, Link saw that there was a seat with his name on it, literally; it was on a bronze plaque. Shrugging, Link took it, and the three who had come in with him followed suit.

"All right, you maniacs, we hereby call this meeting of the Rag to order!" Neosquid waved at Link. "First things first, for those of you haven't met him already, say hello to Link, our newest buddy… and the guy who took down Arrghus permanently." There was a chorus of cheers. "Link, you've already met Ballio, Brutus and Kiki, right?" Link nodded.

"Yup."

"Well then, let's introduce the others to you." Handy pointed a finger at the bird. "Birdbrain here is Kiki's partner, and a valuable resource to us since he's the only one currently among us who can fly." He changed his focus to the toad next. "Rabite here is one of our weapons makers… he's a smith, as it turns out, and a damn good one. And finally, we have the Bomb Boy, our munitions man." He indicated the green snouted creature. "And, of course, there's me and Neosquid here."

"Now that everybody knows each other, we might as well discuss what to do now." Neosquid suggested. "What exactly are your goals, Link?"

"Rescue mission." Link explained. "Those seven girls… five now… I'm here to bring them back to Hyrule. I'm sure you all know about the barrier between worlds all too well." They all nodded. "Well, the way it works… is that by bringing them all here, Ganon's managed to weaken it. They're the descendants of the Seven Sages." A chorus of stunned noises greeted that pronouncement. "There's a big, nasty crack in that barrier now… infinitely larger than the ones that made the portals. And it's just going to keep on getting bigger. But if I bring all the girls back, it'll repair the effect… and if I don't, within only a couple years…" His eyes darkened. "Ganon shall return to Hyrule."

"So that's it…" Handy murmured. "This is BIG, then. Apocalypse now, huh…" He glanced around at the others. "Well, we WON'T let that happen. You've got the full support of the Rag, kid… count on it."

"Thanks, but…" Link brought out the Magic Mirror. "You should know… you don't have to do this. I'm sure you all know now… this thing lets good people return to Hyrule. It's how I'm taking the girls back… and you could take it too."

"We already talked about that, to be honest…" Neosquid shrugged. "And we came up with the same decision I made when you offered it to me after whomping Arrghus. Not yet, kid. The fight's not over, and we've all invested too much time… too much of our lives… too much of US to just bail out. When the Eyes are all dead, and your girls are all rescued… we'll gladly accompany you back to Hyrule then. Until that day, we'll stay here and help you out… if we left now, everything the Rag was created for will be meaningless."

"I see…" Link put the Mirror away. "Understandable."

"And besides, it'd ruin the game for these guys!" Handy cracked, and the others all chuckled.

"I don't get it." Link admitted.

"It's a running bet." Brutus explained. "A challenge these two jokers have set for the rest of us." He indicated Handy and Neosquid. "Figuring out which one of these two clowns is the girl." Link blinked at that.

"What now?"

"Heh… in case you hadn't noticed, Dark World transformations can make it pretty hard to tell if somebody's male or female." Ballio reminded Link, who remembered the pink rabbit incident and shuddered. "Yeah. Most of us just say it, but the bosses here claim one of them's a female without specifying which one. We've all got money on our guesses, and we change it around all the time when we think we've got it figured out. If we all turned back to human, then we'd find out for sure… and we're having too much fun speculating."

"Well, whatever." Link shrugged. "So how long have you guys been at this, anyways?"

"The Rag was formed twenty years ago…" Handy informed him. "That was when Ganon abandoned his body, see… no point in trying it before then, since he'd just use the Triforce and drop a meteor on us or something."

"Abandoned his body?" Link blinked.

"Yeah… about twenty years back…" Neosquid gazed towards the ceiling. "One day, he just up and vanished… stopped coming around. The last anybody saw him was when he headed into the Pyramid of Power… which was promptly completely sealed. After that, the Eyes started making themselves more known in his place… so we figured maybe we could do something after all. Me and Handy had been farting around with the idea for a long time already, so we got the few people we knew were anti-Ganon together and said 'what the hell.' And it worked… we were right. No Triforce-powered retribution came our way… just pissed-off Eyes. Ganon was still around in some form… that much was clear when, a decade later, Blind was made the fifth Eye, with the position of countering us…" Neosquid's tentacles drooped. "That was a dark day. But we survived… and we've managed to hold him… hold them all back this long. We've never been able to truly ruin Ganon's plans, or kill any of the Eyes… but we've succeeded greatly at pissing them off and minor damage. Ballio and Brutus in the north… Kiki and Birdbrain in the east… Ramses and Rabite here in the east… Bomb Boy and… and his partner… in the south… and me and Handy running the whole show. And now you're here, kid." He grinned at Link. "You killed Arrghus… which means you can kill the others too. That'll severely cripple Ganon's system, and we'll be able to go back home knowing we finally helped make a difference here."

"All right… fair enough." Link nodded. "About the Eyes… I need to know about them. Everything you've got. There are four of them left, as I understand it… and the only girl who's not being held by one of them is at Ganon's Tower currently."

"Right." Handy rummaged around on the desk and pulled out four sketches… profiles. Link recognized Blind and Mothula, as well as one of Vitreous' eyes… the fourth was strange, a block of what appeared to be faceted crystal with a single eye dimly visible in the center. "The Eyes of Ganon… Mothula, Vitreous, Arrghus, Kholdstare and Blind. Let's start with Vitreous…" He jumped back onto his seat. "Vitreous, Kholdstare and Arrghus all came to the Dark World together, about five hundred years ago… they're family, see. All of them lucked out with the transformation effect… their forms were monstrous and incredibly powerful. Because of that, after a few years here they attracted Ganon's eye. At the time, there was no formal group serving him… only Mothula. But one or both of them had the idea of recruiting the three siblings… and after too much time in the Dark World, the three gave in, and the Eyes of Ganon were born." Neosquid pulled out a map and continued his partner's explanation.

"I'm sure you know Vitreous' role by now… he's Ganon's spy network. Those eyes of his come in seemingly unlimited amounts… kill one and there'll be two more in its place the next day. He seems to be able to control all of them like a hive… if there's a master part, some way to kill him for good, none of us have found it." He showed Link the map; it depicted a dismal marsh that looked strangely like the Hylian Desert. "Bomb Boy and his partner, Bugoff, have long tried to discover that by sneaking around the Misery Mire, where we suspect said weak point is… but then a couple weeks back, the only entrance to the Mire was sealed off. There's no way in or out now… even the air's unsafe, thanks to the constant storms of incredible power above the Mire. We haven't seen Bugoff since… ah well, no point dwelling on unpleasantness. Point is, while taking Vitreous out would be great, there's no feasible way to do it at this time." Link nodded in agreement.

"All right. What about Kholdstare?"

"BAD idea." Handy shuddered. "Kholdstare's… a special case. See, a couple hundred years back, he went even crazier than the rest of them and abandoned his position… declared Lake Cocytus his private domain and threatened that if this wasn't respected, he would bring down an ice age on the entire Dark World… and the scary thing is, maybe he COULD. The lake used to be a normal one like Lake Hylia… but Kholdstare keeps the entire damn thing frozen twenty-four seven by the sheer force of his will. He's by far and large the most powerful of the Eyes… although, of course, not as strong as Ganon with the Triforce, despite his delusion." Link winced.

"Punishment?"

"OH, yes." Neosquid nodded. "Ganon tanned Kholdstare's hide but GOOD and forced him back into his service… until twenty years ago. That was another thing that tipped us off to Ganon not being able to call on the Triforce's power any more… Kholdstare did it again, and this time he got away with it. He's an independent agent now, and completely nuts… anybody who he catches trespassing in the Ice Palace at the center of the Lake is an ice statue, save for his siblings, and even them he yells at."

"So he's out too." Link sighed.

"For now, yeah… he's beyond even you unless you get stronger, kid." Neosquid admitted. "Blind, now…"

"Blind came to the Dark World ten years ago… after a decade of Rag success." Handy growled. "He didn't come alone, either… he was the head of a group of thugs called the Black Eye Gang…"

"Damn!" Link pounded the table. "I KNEW I recognized the name from somewhere! So that's what happened to those creeps…"

"You've heard of them, I see." Neosquid realized. "Unfortunately, we hadn't… we made the mistake of offering membership in the Rag to him, not knowing just what kind of a guy Blind was. He didn't have to be given an offer by Ganon like the others… he volunteered, and he's been riding our asses ever since. His gang's based in the center of the Village of Outcasts now, in an underground hideout." Link nodded.

"That just leaves Mothula. What do you know about her?"

"Unfortunately, not enough." Handy admitted. "She's the biggest enigma among the Eyes of Ganon… been here longer than any of the others, and the most fanatically loyal to him. She's also the most intelligent of the lot… most of her time is spent creating things for Ganon with her magic. BAD things… like the King Helmasaur. And from what we've gathered, she's just about done with something else… something that'll make THAT bad boy look like a cute little puppy dog by comparison."

"Than that's something I need to stop." Link decided. "Mothula's next… where does she hang out?"

"The Skull Forest, north of the Village." Handy reported, shuddering. "Grisly place."

"Most of us will be a distraction again…" Neosquid decided. "We'll stage a fake rescue attempt on Bugoff… pretend we're trying to bust open Misery Mire. That should draw Blind and Vitreous off long enough for you to do what you need to." Suddenly, from above the room, there was a heavy pounding and a raucous shriek.

"Little ram, little ram, let me in!"

"Aw, geez… it's Blind, and he sounds cranky." Ramses got up. "He'll be here for hours… lay low, guys." Link winced as the shooting gallery's proprietor departed.

"Is there any other way out of here?"

"Afraid not." Neosquid shrugged. "Sorry, kid… looks like you're stuck down here for a bit. It happens… and it's not hard to see why Blind's so cheesed off. Arrghus. Speaking of which, you okay after that?"

"I won't lie… I took a lot of whacks. First from Arrghus, and then that beating from Vitreous…" Link sighed, then grinned. "But it's nothing some healing potions made by a friend of mine can't handle. And I've got more for the Skull Woods, before you ask."

"Planning ahead… I approve." Handy pulled something out. "Well, you can go for Mothula after he leaves… in the meantime, how about a game of cards?"

"A little bit of flesh sealant here, a tad of nerve tissue there… and stone is adhered to shell." Mothula murmured to herself as she fluttered around her workshop. "Zektal! Bring me another giant serpent's skeleton! The last failure rendered one of the ones I was using worthless."

"I hear and obey, mistress." Her second replied from the next room over. Mothula hummed a little tune to herself as she began boring a hole for the skeleton to be attached using a circular energy beam.

"I'll use the same measurement as last time here… that seemed to have been done perfectly, at least." Above her, she heard a crash and winced. "Zektal, if you've broken it…"

"A… apologies, milady, but… our master is here!" Mothula's eyes widened. There was only one being who Zektal would dare call "our" master in her presence. A moment later, that being walked in.

"Milord Ganon." Mothula landed and drew her wings about her in an attempt at genuflection.

"Rise, Mothula… and I think I told you to call me Agahnim." The sorcerer chuckled dryly. "I might as well make the best of this… as long as I'm in this body, just treat me as another one of the guys, hm?"

"As… you command." Mothula nodded, forcing down the instinct to bow again. "What can I do for you, my… Agahnim?"

"See, it's not so hard." Agahnim congratulated her. "As to your question… it is the issue to which I just referred. This body… to be specific, as to why I cannot abandon it, now that my need for it is done."

"I… do not know for sure." Mothula admitted. "This is my first encounter with this type of phenomena… I could hazard a guess, but…"

"That is exactly what I wish you to do." Agahnim explained patiently. "Even if you are not sure… you do have more experience with this general field than any of the rest of us. Your guess will still probably be quite valuable to me."

"Well, then…" Mothula fluttered her wings, keeping her voice calm. "My guess… it is a combination of two factors. The first… you are attempting to return to your original body, of course?" Agahnim nodded. "And yet… it has been a full twenty years since you left it in order to wait for your chance at our success here. Twenty years apart from your body… it is, how do I put this, out of shape. Not physically… spiritually. It has grown used to being empty… and it shall be difficult to reenter it."

"Like a mechanical device that hasn't been used in years…?" Agahnim inquired.

"Exactly." Mothula agreed, pleased. "That's it exactly. As for the second factor… it has to do with your current body. Inhabiting it for a prolonged period of time… a period of time in the Light World, with the barrier between you and your true body… seems to have made your soul grow accustomed to its situation. It's reluctant to let go. In other words, it's stuck there… even though you know this body is not your true one, you've been in it so long that it feels like it is."

"Hmph…" Agahnim growled. "Now for the million Rupee question. How can we counter the effect, and restore me to my true body?"

"…I can think of two options." Mothula said reluctantly. "One… within a week or two, I can probably create some type of magitech that we can use to forcibly extract your soul from Agahnim's body and place it back in your true one." Agahnim raised an eyebrow.

"Without damaging it?"

"Please, my lord…" Mothula smiled. "Do you honestly think anything I could ever do would stand a chance of damaging YOUR soul?"

"…Fair enough." Agahnim chuckled. "And the second way?" Mothula squirmed.

"There should be no need for this, but… if the Agahnim body were to be killed, your soul would probably be released into the same free state it has been in for twenty years."

"Probably." The sorcerer frowned. "I don't like probably, Mothula. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that the universe will always use a probably to my disadvantage."

"All the reason to instead let me create my device." Mothula insisted. "If you wish, I can get started on it right away…"

"Wait." Agahnim glanced behind her, at what she had been working on. "Is… that… almost done?"

"…I believe so." Mothula smiled, pleased that he was taking such an interest in her work. "The body itself is perfect… all that remains is making sure the soul alignment process takes root, and I think I've just about stumbled upon the correct method for that too. This try, or the next one… will be the finished product."

"Good." Agahnim nodded, examining it closer. "In that case, feel free to finish working on this before going on to the next project. After all, you've put so much time and effort into this… and with such excellent results… it would be a shame not to allow you to complete it."

"I… live but to serve, master." Mothula whispered.

"And don't think I haven't noticed." Agahnim turned and crossed back to her, smiling strangely. "I knew, ever since the day you followed me here… that you would be my finest servant, Mothula. Ever since then, there hasn't been a single day you haven't served me well. I value you highly… even more than Vitreous. Especially now." He walked past her motionless form, squatting on the ground, towards the exit. "Don't let me down… I'm counting on you, Mothula."

"I live but to serve." Mothula repeated as he closed the door behind him. She did not rise, but instead remained there for some time, until the door opened again and another figure walked through. It was not Zektal.

"Hey, Mothula." Blind grinned, as always, but his eyes were melancholy. "I see our great and powerful and awesome master paid you a visit."

"Indeed he did…" Mothula quickly rose, flapping her wings. "I was just…"

"Don't bother… I know, remember?" Blind waved her down. "You and me have always agreed to have no illusions about why we're doing this, unlike the other three… even though we're at opposite ends of the spectrum on that."

"…True." Mothula agreed. "You've never attempted to hide that, which is why it doesn't bother me as much as it might otherwise."

"Just call me Honest Stan." Blind chuckled. "Then buy a used pirate ship off of me."

"You're about as funny as Neosquid and Handy coming down main street in a fully armed war chariot." Mothula grumbled, and the grinning demon winced.

"Oh, goddesses… I had almost succeeded in blocking out my memories of that. Thanks awfully."

"What are friends for?" Mothula began fluttering around her project again. "So, did you just come by to bug me or…"

"No." Blind shook his head. "Mothula… it's bad news. Really bad. It's… not the other three any more, really. It's the other two."

"…What?" Mothula turned to stare at him. "Are you saying…"

"I am." Blind nodded somberly. "Arrghus is dead. That kid… Link… killed her. Vitreous is having hysterics… the only reason he hasn't mutilated the kid with every eye he has is that the Rag have been keeping him completely blind to the punk's whereabouts… putting out every eye that gets near him before Vitreous can send the rest there. Which is, of course, only pissing him off even more. I wasn't exactly in the best mood either… just spent several hours blowing off steam at the shooting gallery."

"Of course." Mothula slowly shook her head. "Master Ganon… he never told me. He didn't say a word about that when he came to visit me."

"He didn't, huh…" Blind muttered. "Wonder why… ah well. What's done is done, and we can't bring her back…" His eyes narrowed. "But if I get my hands on that brat… I'll tear HIS head off and see if HE can grow a new one."

"So… not like Neosquid and Handy, then." Mothula commented. Blind was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"And just what do you mean by that?"

"Stop that… like you said, you and me have always had no illusions about our respective situations." Mothula chided him. "You may have all the others fooled, even Master Ganon, but not me… and yet, I'm not going to tell him. You have a right to do things your own way… and you've always respected mine."

"…Mothula." Blind looked away. "Look, just… don't die, okay? I know you might feel… that the boss is worth dying for. But that doesn't mean you HAVE to. If the kid comes here… I'm not saying don't fight him. Do. But if he does beat you… try to get away. The boss needs you, Mothula… and…" He shook his head. "Just don't die."

"I'll do my best." Mothula smiled faintly.

"All right." Blind nodded, clapping his hands together once. "I'll be off, then… I have to get back to my own place and be ready to defend it if they hit it next. Good luck to you." He departed as well, and Mothula was once again alone with her project.

"…" She glanced upward. "Zektal! Where the heck is that skeleton, already?"

"All right, the cost is clear." Birdbrain reported, flying back into the shooting gallery. "No Vitreous within half a mile."

"Right… we'll be off, then." Neosquid nodded. "Handy'll tell you anything you need to know, kid… and the rest of us'll keep the bad guys off your back. Good luck." The Rag headed off to the south, and after a moment, Link and Handy headed in the opposite direction, sneaking along a narrow path on the eastern edge of the Village of Outcasts.

"So Mothula's base of operations is the Skeleton Forest." Link made a face. "Does everything in this place have a name like that?"

"Pretty much." Handy shrugged his knuckles. "That's what happens when a guy like Ganon gains absolute power in a place like this. Whoops, incoming." He dived behind a tree, and Link did so as well. It was Blind, along with a dozen humanoid soldiers carrying spears and tridents. Half of them had the heads of bulls, the other half swine, and they were wearing familiar armor.

"All right, you idiots, here's the deal." Blind told them. "Most of your boys are patrolling the rest of the Dark World, but the boss says you lucky punks get the Village here. You won't run into any problems as long as you stay in your assigned areas; but whatever you do, don't come into the underground hideout unless it's REALLY important, you hear? Down there are MY guys, and they don't exactly take kindly to interference from authority figures…"

"…Were those who I think they were?" Handy muttered to Link after the threat had passed.

"Knights of Hyrule… the ones who escaped through the huge portal in front of the Castle slash Pyramid." Link nodded. "Livestock, huh… fits what they've become. I doubt they'll be that big a problem. Let's keep going." Leaving the Village behind, they walked between a gap in the familiar solid line of trees. When they emerged in the forest proper, however, the sight awaiting Link's eyes was horribly alien. The air was filled with the same kind of thick, obscuring haze that had descended upon the Lost Woods recently, but here it seemed more permanent… a fixture. And dimly visible through the fog were bones… hundreds of them, most of them grossly inflated. Skulls larger than Link's entire body were rooted in the ground up to their nostrils, eyes glaring sightlessly at the two intruders. "Goddesses… the master of this domain is clearly insane."

"Well, yeah… it's Mothula." Handy shrugged. "No surprise there… insanity is a common thing here, kid. You get used to it-WHOA!" They both stumbled and tried to step back, but too late; the ground beneath them gave way and they tumbled, yelling, into a torchlit chamber below the earth. The underground of the Skeleton Forest was no better; every so often there would be a full human skeleton sunk in the wall as a macabre decoration, and clinging vines covered the walls as well in great masses. "Gah! Tentacled terrors coming in, and I don't mean my partner!" Link frowned; they were the same kinds of rubbery, extremely resilient land octopi that had inhabited the Tower of Hera.

"This should be able to handle most of them…" He drew the Master Sword. "One red… that one's the toughest. If I keep all the others busy…"

"Got it." Handy rested on his fingertips for a moment then launched himself through the air at the red octopus. Drawing the others away, Link began striking not at their heads, but at the bases of their tentacles with the Master Sword. There, they were much more vulnerable, and once they were without means of movement, a few repeated strokes finished each off. As he was disposing of the last, Link heard an explosion, and looked to see the red squid flop over, a smoking crater in place of its head.

"No problem… shall we move on?"

"Hey… Neosquid said you guys had maps of all these places." Link remembered as they walked through the only door into the next room over. "Did you bring the one for here?"

"Of course." Handy did a little shake, and a scroll of paper fell out the wrist hole of the white glove. He unrolled and examined it. "This place is nasty, though… it's not one underground complex, it's several, and this isn't the one we want if we're looking for Mothula. To get out of here… right, we head north." They did so, then jumped as a pair of bandage-wrapped corpses stumbled towards them, moaning.

"Are those mummies?" Link choked. "I've read about some kind of ancient burial ritual, but…"

"Gibdos." Handy recognized them. "Like mummies, yeah, but with a major attitude problem, and this is coming from ME. Only one way to stop 'em that doesn't take all day…" He shook again, and a pair of tiny, compact bombs tumbled out. "Burn 'em up!" He struck the fuses with one finger, and for the first time Link noticed a line of matches bound around it. The fuses lit, and Handy chucked the bombs at the Gibdos easily. The explosions completely consumed the corpses.

"You guys ARE good." Link whistled as they walked on.

"Practice." Handy explained deprecatingly. "We can't beat the Eyes, but we're the next best thing. Ah, here's the exit."

"Wait." Link pointed to the north of the room, where a huge treasure chest sat. It was separated from them by a huge gap in the floor, filled with spikes… and in the air above the gap, blades swung like pendulums. "Heavy gear… anything about that on the map?"

"It says there's another way into the room, through the back." Handy raised a single knuckle above the tinted glasses on the backs of his fingers, emulating an eyebrow. The wall in question was blank with no doors. "Some kind of secret passage, maybe… it'd fit Mothula's style. But that chest looks locked, regardless."

"So we'll find the key in another area, then get to it." Link shrugged as they walked up the exit staircase. "It'll probably be something useful… ugh." He grimaced as he saw that they were leaving through the open, grinning jaw of another giant skull. "Have I mentioned that I severely disapprove of this place's décor?"

"Yeah… and it gets worse." Handy pointed at a long line of spine and ribs planted in the ground to form a tunnel. Grimacing, they walked under it and soon located another open-mouthed skull. "Map says this goes to another area."

"Right…" Link looked around the room they emerged in. "Two doors… which one do we take?"

"One on the left will take us closer to Mothula." Handy reported. "One on to the north leads to a dead-end."

"One on the north it is, then… just to see what's there." Link decided, then frowned. The door in question was firmly sealed with a metal shutter. A pair of walls extended out from either side of it, forming a narrow tunnel, and on the floor of that was a large button. Stepping on it, Link confirmed that it opened the door; however, it reverted as soon as he stepped off.

"I'll hold it down." Handy offered.

"Nah, this is a simple logic puzzle." Link explained, grabbing something else; an ornamental statue in the room. Grunting, he began pulling it.

"Aha!" Handy took hold of another portion near the base and helped, and together they pulled it towards the door behind them, leaving it on the switch. The room beyond held only a large key on a wall. "Hold it. This feels like a trap. Let me go first…" Before Link could protest, the white glove crept forward. "Hm… so far so good…"

"Look out!" Link yelled suddenly, seeing a shadow appear on his friend. Something was dropping quickly, but before it could land Link swung wildly. It turned out to be another hand, but unlike Handy, it was a gross, dead-looking limb huge enough to hold either of them easily.

"Wallmaster!" Handy hissed. "Kill it before it gets away!" Link nodded, savaging it with the Master Sword.

"What the heck is it, anyways?"

"Nasty buggers… they ambush you when you're not looking." Handy explained. "Grab you and haul you off… fortunately, there's some instinctual behavior that not even the Eyes have been able to override, and instead of a permanent capture they just kick you out the way you came in. Still annoying, though-now what in the heck is that?" He indicated something that had slid out from between bricks in the floor; golden stars of light, forming a flat, whirling spiral. It sped forward at Link, and his defensive stroke from the Master Sword went right through it. It hit him, covering him with energy… and transforming him into a pink bunny once again.

"AUGH! The HELL!"

"So that's what you look like over here." Handy snickered. "Very cute. But bad news, I suppose…"

"You're damn right!" Link growled. "I can't even hold a sword like-whoa." He popped back to his human form. "Phew… only temporary. But still… that could be disastrous at the wrong time. I'll have to watch out for those."

"Yeah, yeah…" Handy grabbed the key. "Right, back outside and find the way to that chest… probably another hidden pitfall." They soon found it, hidden in a clump of bushes; dropping in carefully landed them in a small room with a wall lever. Shrugging, Link pulled it… and they both jumped as the south wall EXPLODED, blowing itself to pieces right before their eyes and revealing the huge chest on the other side of it.

"…That works, I guess." Handy muttered after a moment.

"…Yeah." Link agreed. He opened the chest and pulled out a rod; a simple, red-and-white metal shaft, about a foot long. On one end, above some flame decorations, was a single, spherical crystal of deep red. And it looked familiar.

"What is THAT?" The white glove wondered. "Some kind of magical artifact?"

"Yeah… I've got another one like it." Link muttered. "The Ice Rod… so this must be…" He focused, and a burst of flames flew out from the crystal, causing Handy to yelp. "The Fire Rod."

"Huh… well, that's pretty cool." Handy admitted. "And that ain't all… check out the defenses." Link did so and realized that the blades in the air had retracted. "They did that when you opened it… so somebody who could fly could get across now. Of course, that doesn't do much for us…"

"Care to place a wager on that?" Link smiled, pulling out his Hookshot. Grabbing one of Handy's fingers, he fired at the wooden doorframe of the exit and pulled them both across.

"Could you WARN me next time you're going to do that?" His friend complained as they walked back out and through the ribcage tunnel again. "As if I don't have enough freaking me out about this place already!"

"I'll try." Link promised. "Right, back into the second area, and this time we take the left door." They did so, and soon emerged in the outside Skull Forest again, in a new area. To the northwest, they found the most grotesque sight yet; a huge, building-sized skull with insectlike legs around its base, inhuman fangs and three eye sockets.

"This is the place." Handy realized. "Ready to take on Mothula?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Link nodded. "Let's go!" The two of them walked in and found themselves in a long hall. Several Gibdos stalked forward, and Link whipped out the Fire Rod, torching them all before they ever got near. The door behind them was closed tightly; further examination located several torches scattered in nooks throughout the room. "I've seen something like this before… just light 'em all." He pulled out his lantern and started doing so; however, when he was done, the door did not open. "Or… not."

"Here's why, boss." Handy pointed out. "They're rigged… don't stay lit for long. You gotta hit them all quickly. Mothula could, with her energy beams, but not too many other people could."

"Unfortunately for Mothula… I'm one of those people now." Drawing the Fire Rod again, Link ran forward across the room, whipping it left and right as he passed each torch and lighting them from far off. When he reached the door, it was wide open, and he and Handy slipped through easily. The next room held a Gibdos, a blue land octopus, and another spinning circle of golden sparkles. Link swore upon seeing the last.

"I'll get it!" Handy leaped to intercept the whirl as it launched itself… and passed through it with no effect. "Or… not?"

"Take the bandage boy!" Link yelled as it transformed him. "He's the bigger threat!" Handy nodded and took out another bomb while Link ran around frantically, distracting the enemies. An explosion behind him informed him that one of them had been dealt with, but he kept running regardless until he changed back, and turned to hack the octopus to shreds. "Something's wrong here… missing…" He realized what it was and dived out of the way just in time to avoid the Wallmaster's grab. Growling, he turned and killed it as well.

"Right… narrow room up ahead." Handy instructed as they walked through the door. "Something seems off about it, though…" As they both stepped through, they realized what it was. About five seconds later, they simultaneously grunted profanities as they slammed into the basement room.

"I figured it out." Link growled as he picked himself back up. "The floor's removable."

"Gee, you think so, Nayru?" Handy muttered, rising as well. "Now, where are we…"

"The answer to that is, 'right where I want you,' I'm afraid." A hissing voice informed them. The light in the basement increased, revealing Mothula squatting on the floor before them. All around, the walls of the small room were covered in foot-long spikes.

"Aw, man… we fell into a trap, literally!" Link realized as the room began humming mechanically.

"Exactly… I knew you had come for me as soon as you neared the front door!" Mothula began beating her wings. "And so I retired to my battle chamber. Prepare to face the wrath of Mothula of the Eyes of Ganon!"

"I'd be more impressed by that if I hadn't already killed your buddy Arrghus." Link snarled as Mothula rose into the air. "You'll be seeing her again soon!"

"She was the weakest of us five… and had spent far, far less time in the servitude of milord Ganon than I have!" Mothula informed them. "I will not fall anywhere near as easily!" Link stumbled as, below his feet, the floor began moving; first in one direction, and then another, shifting every few seconds. Handy was affected even more, but Mothula flew above them, cackling. "Surprised? And that's not all I've fitted this room with!" With a rumble, a portion of the wall extended outward, spikes first. Link and Handy barely managed to scramble away in time to avoid being crushed as it hit the opposite side of the room, then retracted. A moment later, another portion flew out, and again they barely avoided it. "How confident are you NOW?" She gloated, then frowned as she saw Link's smirk.

"More than ever." He informed her. "If you have to rely on these tricks and traps in a fight… then you must not have all that much strength yourself to back it up. Compared to the other Eyes, at least. See, Handy here and his friends have told me about you. You're the brain of the Eyes… the genius. You're even working on some top-secret project for Ganon right now-that's why we came here, to put a stop to that. But nobody's gifted with everything. You claimed Arrghus was the weakest, and maybe if we're taking all factors into account, that's true. But if we're talking fight capability only… I don't think YOU'VE got any room to talk about her." Sidestepping another wall of spikes, he extended the Fire Rod, and Mothula hissed in surprise.

"You found THAT?"

"Indeed… not very smart of you, to hide this so close to you." Link shook his head. "Because if there's one thing I know about moths… it's that they burn REAL good." A blast of flames struck Mothula and clung to her, raging over her body. Shrieking, she returned fire.

"Don't be quite so quick to dismiss my strength!" A triple blast of energy descended, striking both Link and Handy. The latter stumbled, groaning, but Link just shook it off.

"Not enough… not even close." He blasted Mothula again with the Fire Rod, and again and again, and soon her entire body was a mass of flames. "You're finished." He waited for the charred wreck to fall… but it did not, fluttering closer to him on the remnants of her once-proud wings.

"You… young… fool." Mothula grated. "These flames… are nothing… compared to my lord Ganon!" She finally fell… onto Link, bearing him to the ground bodily with her mass, and spreading the flames to him. "I am not like Arrghus, pup! I followed my master here willingly, when I heard that he had been banished to this place! I consigned myself to this hell, to this monstrous form, so that I could be of service to him forever! Why do you think I became a moth? HE is the flame I was drawn to! GANON is mighty… Ganon is power beyond your comprehension! Compared to him, your flames are barely a spark!" Struggling to reach his pack, Link finally pulled out what he had been searching for.

"Is that so… then let's see how THIS light affects you." He shoved the Magic Mirror into her face, and Mothula flew back as if launched from a cannon, screaming even louder than Arrghus had. Jumping to his feet, ignoring the traces of flame that still clung to his tunic, Link ran at her, drawing the Master Sword. Seeing him approach, Mothula's eyes widened.

"You… you're back!" And then she screamed as Link severed first one wing, and then the other, and she fell to the ground. He raised his sword to finish her… then paused.

"I'm… back? You… recognize me?"

"Of course I do…" Mothula whispered. "I saw you only once, but I remember that day clearly… you had broken into my fortress, mine and my sisters, and freed four captives we had taken… defeated four of our finest warriors. Impressed, I made you one of our fellowship… not knowing until too late that you were King Ganondorf's greatest enemy… the one who I heard, far too late, eventually struck him down. And now, after all this time… you come to face him again. No wonder I fell to you… against powers like yours and his… I am nothing. All of us… are nothing." She chuckled dryly. "You are too late, however… I completed my masterwork minutes before you arrived. My second, Zektal, has already taken it to Lord Ganon. And so I die… my last act… serving… the one… I have… always…" The light in her eyes faded and was gone. Link stood up and watched the crystal descend from the ceiling.

"You must be Link… I am Lily, daughter of Morris. Thank you for coming."

"It's my job." Link sighed, sheathing the Master Sword. "Always has been… and from what I know… maybe always will be." Lily glanced down at Mothula.

"That one had some strange beliefs… we talked on occasion. She told me the prophecy of the Great Cataclysm… that if somebody took the Triforce who could not hold all three of its aspects… than those who took the other aspects would be destined to rise against him. Those three would be fated to clash, and the aspects could be rejoined only if one of the three killed the other two… and if they did not… then their struggle would continue, forever. Mothula claimed it was all legend and myth… that the only power remaining fully was her master's. But now I see that that's not the case. You have returned as well… and Zelda also has more power than the rest of us… we can feel it. Link, in order to triumph… you and Zelda must stand together against Ganon, as you did before."

"I'm not…" Link paused. "Look. I'm not going to fight Ganon… there's no reason for me to. I can stop him without doing so."

"We shall see." Lily shrugged. "But more and more… it seems fate is moving you towards him once again. Be ready for anything, Link." She shrank, and Link turned to Handy.

"Let's go… let's leave this cursed place." Handy nodded his fingers, and didn't say a word as Link hookshotted them out of the room. It was only when they were about to leave the complex that he spoke again.

"You… took her down, just like that. I couldn't do a thing… it was all I could manage to dodge that room's traps. I never got a single attack in… but you moved around them like they weren't even there and blew her away." He glanced at Link. "Kid. There's something I gotta know. You're named Link. Did you have an ancestor… by that name too?" Link started to reply, then frowned as they neared the entrance.

"There's a lot of light out there… I thought this place was dark as heck…" He fell silent as they walked out. Around them… the Skull Forest was burning. Flames covered the trees and the bones equally without distinction in a hellish blaze converging on them. "What… what the hell is this?"

"GLAD YOU ASKED!" Blind screamed, blasting out of a cluster of flames. "It's called a funeral pyre, kiddies! For my friend Mothula, and for YOU TWO… 'cause for this, there's no way I'm letting you out of here alive!"

"Shit, him again…" Link glanced at Handy. "Looks like you're coming back to Hyrule with us!"

"I…" Handy glanced around. "But I can't… not just yet!"

"You can come back here through a portal if the fight means that much to you!" Link yelled at him as the two of them scrambled through the blaze, running from the maniacally laughing Blind. "He's serious this time… there's no way out of here except the mirror! If you don't come with me and Lily he'll KILL you, here and now!"

"Dammit…" Handy shook off a few cinders that had fallen on him. "You don't understand, I…"

"You're out of here, is what you are!" A voice from above cried. "Just call us the rescue heroes! Except, you know, don't actually. That sounds lame as hell." It was Neosquid, clinging to one of Birdbrain's legs as the avian Rag member flew through the smoke. "Grab on!" Handy did so, and they began flying off. "Keep him off us for one minute, kid, that's all we'll need!"

"Sometimes those two irritate me." Link growled, turning to face Blind. "All right, ugly. Let's go!"

"You want to fight me here and now after all, do you?" Blind snarled, the grin never leaving his face despite his obvious fury. "Brave, kid… letting your buddies escape while you take the fall! But…" He suddenly jumped over Link. "It's not happening! Give me more credit than THAT!"

"I am… credit not to be an idiot!" Link yelled. "You don't WANT them… I'M the one who killed Mothula, and me alone! I KILLED HER, Blind… now, what are you going to do about it!" Blind stopped, and his head turned around… rotating fully backwards.

"Well, since you put it THAT way… let's dance!" He charged, rotating his body around as he did, spewing more flames. Link jumped back, but not quick enough to avoid all the damage; some of the fires touched him, and he fell, grunting.

"Lily… in my pack, look in the mirror!" He growled. "Look at it and it'll take you back to Hyrule, while I'm keeping this guy busy!"

"Making every second count, huh?" Blind growled, reaching out with one massive hand and slamming Link against a burning tree. "Tough luck for you… I won't NEED a minute to finish you, brat!" He grinned viciously as the flames from the tree crept onto Link. "Now then… how to do this? More fire, or do I just rip your head off? Or…" His eyes began glowing. "Maybe I should just burn your eyes out and leave you here to die? You need to be able to see to use that mirror of yours, I bet…" Link struggled to break free, realizing that he was right.

"Dammit…" There was a clattering in his pack, and something fell out. Blind glanced down at it.

"Eh… AUGH!" He stumbled back, clutching his face. It was the Magic Mirror that he had looked out, knocked out by Lily, who was even now fading away. Dropping, Link grabbed it and stared into it as well, ignoring the furious screams of Blind… and a moment later, he was back in Hyrule, in the grove of the Master Sword. Stumbling, he fell to the ground, wounds finally taking their toll on him, dragging him into unconsciousness.

"That…" He muttered as the darkness overwhelmed him. "Guy… is really starting… to piss me off."


	11. Chapter 10: Too Blind To See

**_Chapter 10: Too Blind To See_**

"Unbelievable." Neosquid shook his head as Link entered the Rag's meeting room. "Un… freaking… believable. Landed on by Mothula, slammed into a tree by Blind, burns ALL over your body from both… and you stroll back in here two days later whistling cheerfully, with nary a scratch nor a scar. Come ON, kid."

"Like I told you last time I came here… a friend of mine is a whiz with magic potions." Link chuckled, then winced. "Admittedly, it took a LOT of them this time… but results are what's important. I'm ready for the next one… and after that incident in the forest, I think I know who it should be… how did that turn out, by the way?"

"We all made it away fine… got a bit dicey over the forest when Vitreous showed up, but Birdbrain managed to outfly him long enough for us to bring the eyes down." Handy explained. "The fire died down some time yesterday… the Skull Forest, as you might imagine, is pretty much ruined. I'll bet Ganon's pissed about that… or maybe he might have actually ordered it, to keep Mothula's research from falling into our, well, hands. Who can tell."

"Yeah… you can never tell with that guy." Link shook his head. "Well, anyways. As I was saying, I've had just about enough of the big bad Blind showing up after every success. I don't suppose any of you would be adverse to doing something about that?"

"We wouldn't be adverse at all." Neosquid grinned. "So Blind's the next target… we'll have to do things differently then from the others, then. See, Blind's HQ isn't out in the middle of nowhere. It's in the center of the Village of Outcasts… or to be more specific, it's UNDER the village, and the entrance is in the center. There's a big statue there… it used to be of Ganon, but we kept blowing that up, so the latest one is just a generic gargoyle. The entrance to Blind's Lair is under that."

"Hmph… he's staying true to form." Link grunted. "He and the Black Eye Gang had a hideout in Kakariko back in Hyrule, too. If the village is full of Ganon loyalists like you say… that could get tricky."

"Very." Handy agreed. "Your normal style of infiltration and assassination simply won't work here, I'm afraid. So, we've come up with an alternative plan." Link raised an eyebrow.

"And that would be?"

"Full frontal assault." Neosquid pounded the table with a tentacle. "No diversions, no nothing… the entire Rag charges down main street, bust the place wide open and mow the Black Eye Gang down while you find and finish Blind."

"…Heh." Link chuckled after a moment. "Gutsy. I'll give you that. But at the same time… incredibly risky. If two of the other Eyes weren't already dead, it wouldn't even be worth considering… and as it is, we'd likely get Vitreous and probably even Agahnim… Ganon… himself on our tails in less than ten minutes. If Blind isn't dead by then, we all might wind up facing the three of them simultaneously, and I don't need to tell you how that would turn out. So… convince me."

"One." Handy held up a finger. "That would happen no matter which way we did this… like we said, the village is filled with Ganon supporters. There's no way you could get into the hideout and not be spotted, with or without us. Two, if we came along it would speed things up… we'd tear up the place, and with all of us looking we'd find Blind much faster than you would alone. Three, I really do doubt that the Forger himself will show up… he hasn't so far at any of these places. At all. No reason he'd break that pattern now. And four… well, let us tell you a little story."

"Once upon a time, there were a group of friends who called themselves the Rag, who were dedicated to opposing the big, bad Ganon." Neosquid picked up. "About ten years ago, a new group of guys came through the portal to the Dark World, and the Rag found them right away. There were a lot of them, and their leader looked powerful, so the Rag asked them to join. Their leader was named Blind, and he seemed to hit it off well with the Rag's leaders, Handy and Neosquid. He said he would think about it, and to meet him a week later in a cave north of the Pyramid."

"But Blind had other plans… Ganon." Handy continued. "Blind decided that he would be better off allying with the man in charge than the resistance, and he sought out the Forger. Ganon saw potential in Blind, and that Blind was powerful… powerful enough to become one of Ganon's lieutenants, his Eyes of Ganon. But Blind didn't make this apparent… he kept it quiet, and he went to the meeting a week later as planned."

"Blind pretended he wanted to join up… he talked with the Rag, got them thinking everything was going well… and then, while the Rag were talking with Blind, the rest of the Black Eye Gang attacked them." Neosquid growled. "They massed in front of the cave to keep the Rag from escaping… and when they tried to anyways, Blind mauled them from behind." Most of the other Rag members were looking angry now. "Rabite and Bomb Boy weren't there at the time… they came through and joined the Rag at later dates. But the rest of us… we all remember that day, remember seeing our friends die screaming in that cave. We numbered twenty before that day… seven of us escaped. Ramses wasn't there. And ever since that day, Blind's been constantly trying to finish the job and kill the rest of us too. He hasn't succeeded… and now, we finally have the opportunity for payback. More than any of the other Eyes… this one's personal, kid. We want in on this… we don't want a single one of the Black Eye Gang to escape. Understand?"

"…Yeah." Link remembered how he had felt when he had first snuck into Hyrule Castle, and discovered his uncle dying by Agahnim's hand. "Yeah, I do. I get it. All right… we'll do it that way. Full frontal assault… but we've got to do it quick. There's no point in it if we all die down there in the process. Ten minutes… after that, we pull out. Or should I say, you do… I can finish off Blind and then use the Magic Mirror to escape, if need be, but since you guys refuse to use it, you can't get trapped down there. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Handy conceded. "That's all the time we'll need, anyways. We can do it in ten."

"Good…" Link's eyes narrowed. "And on that, by the way… one of these days, I want to hear the entire story on why you two are so adamant against that. And don't give me that line about not giving up the fight again… it's more than that, with you two at least, and we all know it, don't we?"

"Tell you what." Neosquid cracked a sly grin. "We'll explain THAT to you on the same day YOU explain to US how you knew to use that Hookshot right away, how Mothula recognized you from before she came here… and how you're using the bloody MASTER SWORD. Yeah, we know it… didn't at first, but as soon as Rabite spotted it he knew what it was and he told us."

"Heh… fair enough." Link grinned as well. "We all have our secrets, I suppose… but that can all wait for another day. For right now… an enemy waits for us. Let's not disappoint him."

"Come on, missy… just talk a little, huh?" Blind asked, lounging in a room in the back of his hideout. The crystal girl who was his captive, Lucy, glared at him.

"And why on Hyrule would I want to talk with a monstrosity like yourself, fiend of the Forger?"

"Aw, don't be like that. I'm not really THAT bad a guy." Blind's grin widened. "Okay, okay, who am I kidding… yeah, I am. But that doesn't mean I can't be a scintillating conversationalist. And you see, I'm BORED down here. Got nothing to do at the moment. So…"

"Hey, boss!" One of the Black Eye Gang threw his door open. Like the rest, he had been transformed into a horse-headed man, this one colored a deep blue. "You got a visitor. It's the eyeboy. Should we run him off?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Butch, we NEVER do that to the other Eyes… and ESPECIALLY not to Big G. Stop asking… and let him in." Blind rolled his eyes.

"Okay, boss!" Butch nodded and ran off. Blind sighed.

"You ever heard the old one about finding good help these days?" Blind appealed to Lucy. "Well, don't buy it for a second. Those guys have all been in my employ for ten years, and look at 'em. It's hard to find good help in ANY time period."

"I'll keep that in mind." Lucy replied dryly. Blind chuckled.

"Good girl. But for now, away you go." She flew back up to the ceiling, and a moment later, one of Vitreous' eyeballs pushed the door open.

"Hey, Blind. Nice attitude on your guys here."

"Augh…" Blind slapped his forehead. "They give you lip?"

"Told me I was just lucky 'the boss' hadn't told them to donate me to the local bowling alley." Vitreous snickered.

"Goddesses… I'm sorry. I'll talk to them… not that it'll do much good, but I'll try again, at least." Blind sighed theatrically. "They just can't seem to get their minds around the idea that there are people they should treat with respect aside from me."

"I suppose that's what you get when you bring guys who are used to working for you only into this gig." Vitreous chuckled again.

"Yeah, but you'd think after ten years they'd have figured it out." Blind complained, shaking his head. "Mothula always used to say…" He paused. "…Well, never mind that."

"Yeah…" Vitreous looked downward. "First my sis, then her… what's next?" Blind's answer was cut off as the door opened again.

"It's the wizard, boss." The same Black Eye thug reported. "Here to see you. Should we-"

"For the Goddesses' sake, NO, Butch!" Blind yelled. "And DON'T give him any mouth, just show him in!" Butch nodded and left. "Ugh. They don't even remember what happened the last time one of them did that to the boss… we were picking pieces of poor Kilgore out of the wall." Vitreous attempted a wince and failed miserably.

"Yeesh… yeah, being a smartass with me is one thing, but the boss… BAD idea. Oops, here he is…"

"Hello, Blind… and Vitreous? Visiting?" Agahnim raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… and don't worry, boss. I'm still on lookout duty at the same time." Vitreous assured him.

"Good." Agahnim nodded. "And how are your duties progressing, Blind?"

"Better…" Blind's eyes started glowing eerily. "I think I might finally have the lead on where those damn rebels are hiding out, boss. Just say the word, and I'll take my boys down there right away and smash it to pieces."

"Ha… I think not, Blind." Agahnim replied coolly. "The Rag are not important any more… not as important as the upstart Link, who will doubtless soon make another attempt to rescue one of our… hostages. You must be here on hand in case it is yours… what if you attacked the place, and it turned out you were wrong? Or you were right, but they had all already left… and while you demolished with your men, they were here stealing the girl away? Even if you took her with you, you could very well be ambushed easily out in the open like that."

"But…" Blind protested. "The brat'll likely be there with them, boss! And they helped him take out Arrghus and Mothula… shouldn't we pay them back for that?"

"Pay them back?" Agahnim smiled strangely. "Whatever do you mean, Blind? Arrghus and Mothula both died doing their duty, serving me… I see no reason for any sort of 'payback' here."

"You-!" Vitreous started to rage, but a hand raised in warning by Blind cut him off.

"You're saying that we should attach no onus to the punk for this." The grinning demon guessed. "That because they died serving you… that their deaths were fitting in some way."

"Of course… I'm sure if you had asked Mothula herself beforehand, she would have agreed." Agahnim explained, reason and rationality dripping from every word. "I told her the last time I saw her she was my most valuable tool… and she agreed with me."

"Tool, huh…" Blind repeated, eyes beginning to glow again.

"Yes, that's the word." Agahnim continued, turning to look at a wall. "But you shouldn't feel bad about that… you two are both highly valuable as well. As was Arrghus… and even Kholdstare has his uses."

"So you'd really prefer it if we didn't die too…" Vitreous' pupil narrowed. "Because then we wouldn't be of use to you any more."

"Exactly. You've hit it right on the head." Agahnim praised them. "The loss of the other two has been bad enough. At least Mothula managed to finish her masterwork… although there was something else she was going to work on that I shall sorely miss. Ah well, perhaps her assistant will be able to come up with something… he's the head of the Wizrobe order, after all. Name of Zektal, I believe…"

"And that's the only regret you feel over Mothula's death…" Blind seethed. "That she couldn't make something else for you… and the same for Arrghus?" He and Vitreous were moving forward now. Agahnim nodded, not turning.

"I'm afraid so…" As they neared him, he casually looked over his shoulder at them, smiling… but his eyes froze them both in place. "Was there something… you disagreed with me about?" There were a few moments of absolute motionlessness… and then Blind and Vitreous backed away.

"No…"

"Nothing…"

"Good." Agahnim turned towards the door. "Well, I'll be off. Be prepared in case either of you are attacked next… and oh, good luck, of course." He closed the door behind him, and Vitreous shuddered.

"Oh, man… did we almost just do what I think we did?"

"Yeah…" Blind sighed. "I think we might have all made a mistake, Vitreous. A big mistake. We've been riding the tiger… and now the tiger's throwing us to the lion."

"So what do we do?" The floating eye demanded.

"What CAN we do? We shack up, and wait to be attacked… and when we are, we fight, and hope we get lucky." Blind shrugged helplessly. "You heard the man… we're just tools in his belt, and that's what he's telling us to do. I've got a plan that just might work… we'll have to see."

"…All right." Vitreous sighed, floating towards the door as well. "I'll… see you around, Blind. Or maybe not. Who knows."

"Who knows indeed… it just may be that all of us fall to the reaper now." Blind mused to himself. "But if we do… well, it's been fun." And the demon grinned, as he always had, no matter what emotion he felt inside.

"All right, it looks like we're ready to go." Link smiled, looking over the miniature army behind him. Each one of the Rag had armed up, and were separating into pairs. "Who am I partnered with?"

"That'd be me, young man." Rabite, the brown frog, croaked and hopped over, easily carrying a massive sledge. "Normally I'd be with Ramses, but he's the closest to Bomb Boy aside from Bugoff, who's still missing, and the kid needs a best friend… he's still only six." Link winced.

"Sheesh… poor guy. He the newest here?"

"Naw, Rabite is, actually." Neosquid called over. "Bomb Boy's been here for eight years now, but Rabite dropped in only a few weeks before you did, kid." Link blinked, confused at the mathematical illogic for a moment, but then he realized something else and his eyes narrowed.

"Huh…" Rabite glanced away and coughed.

"Well, shall we get going?"

"Yeah." Link turned north.

"Remember, if things get dicey, we can head on back out… Blind won't be able to chase us himself out in the open, not in this weather." Handy pointed upward at the sun, blaring down even brighter and hotter than usual. "He's got sensitive eyes, see… that's why he named himself that, we figure, all the way back in Hyrule. It's not the sort of name a mother bestows on you." Link nodded.

"Good to know. Well then…" He drew the Master Sword and pointed it north. "CHARGE!" Screaming like banshees, the Rag surged north into the Village of Outcasts, with Link at their head. Startled villagers resembling foxes and rats ran out of the way, and transformed Knights of Hyrule in the forms of bulls and boars were swarmed under. In less than a minute, they had reached the gargoyle statue. A pitchfork it held hung down to block a staircase in its base with the tines. Grinning evilly, Brutus took hold of one of them. Rabite took a second, and Link a third with his Power Gloves. All three snapped, and the Rag moved in.

"Hey, what the-!" A startled man with the head of a red, fanged horse yelled and was cut off as Neosquid fell upon him, whirling and slashing with short knives held in six tentacles. Several more ran in, and other Rag members scattered to take them on, while the rest moved towards doors.

"Blind'll be towards the back, probably!" Link yelled at Rabite, who grunted and swept a Black Eye's head off with one blow of his sledge. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Rabite pulled out his copy of Blind's hideout map as he hopped up next to Link; Handy and Neosquid had issued duplicates to all of them prior to the attack. "We'll want to get clear of the large complex at the front as soon as possible… take a right here, then we drop down a level…" He paused for a moment as they engaged a pair of Black Eyes each. "Right then, now we-UGH!" He buckled as a fireball slammed into his back, launched from the mouth of a red Black Eye. Growling, he turned and raised his palm, and from it a much larger fireblast shot out, engulfing the enemy and reducing him to a smear of ashes against the wall. He blinked. "Um… oops. Lost my temper there…"

"Heh… that confirms it." Link chuckled. "You know fire magic… you're a weapons smith… and you came here only a few weeks ago. So, why didn't you tell me who you really were, Tom? Descendant of the Sage of Fire, Darunia?"

"I… wanted to be sure of you first." Tom admitted, bowing his head. "I wasn't yet… I had to see what you could do with my own eyes. That's why I really asked Ramses to team up with Bomb Boy… so I could accompany you. And… my daughter is the one who's here…"

"I understand." Link nodded. "All the same… I'm glad I figured it out. Now that we've got that settled… let's go bust Blind's head and get Lucy back, hm?" Tom grinned as he hopped forward.

"Oh, YES!" His sledge swept the skull off another Black Eye who had been sneaking up on Link. "Come on! Forward, then up a level, and through this door on our left!"

"It's locked." Link growled.

"We'll see about THAT!" Tom raised his hand again, and Link scrambled away as another fireblast blew it off its hinges.

"Whew… you don't mess around."

"Oy, you two! Keep going!" Brutus yelled as he and Ballio passed by, the latter wearing several metal spikes. Brutus kicked him into a cluster of Black Eyes with disastrous results. "We're on a time limit here!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Tom and Link both grumbled. Together, they ran forward into a long hall. At the end was a large but empty room. Tom shook his head.

"Nothing in there… let's try to the left!" A couple of rooms with nothing important later, they emerged into another long hall, this one floored by a conveyer belt that tried to pull them back into a wall of spikes.

"Oh, no you don't…" Grabbing Tom's arms, Link used his Pegasus Boots to rush forward to the other end of the hall, and a staircase leading up. "Hm… what's up here?" They walked up and found only a few storage rooms. This floor was on ground level, and roofed with thatch poorly; in several places, light shone through. "Well, we definitely won't find Blind up here." Returning to the conveyer belt hall, they ducked into another side door, further along than the one they had entered by. Waving at Ramses, who was headchecking a Black Eye viciously, and Bomb Boy, who was nervously launching the explosives implied in his name around, they moved on.

"There should be a door to the basement down… there." Tom pointed. "Blind's got to be there." Walking down, they demolished a pair of Black Eye guards. "We can go left or right…"

"Left it is." Link decided. In the room there, they found a huge treasure chest. "Damn… no key…"

"I've heard you had a hammer of exceptional power?" Tom inquired mildly. Link the Magic Hammer and handed it to him.

"Well, yes, but-" He blinked as the powerful smith swung it and bashed the front of the chest in, lock and all. Prying it open, he removed a pair of gauntlets, identical to Link's current, save that they were gold and not silver.

"Whoa… the Titan's Mitts. Link, these…"

"Belonged to my ancestor?" Link guessed. "Thought I recognized them… should be stronger than these silver ones." Slipping on his new gauntlets, he flexed a fist. "All right… now to get Blind!" They looked in the other basement room, but did not find the grinning demon there; instead, another pair of Black Eyes guarded a locked cell. They were easily disposed of, and the cell opened, revealing a young girl who resembled a deer.

"You… are you here to help me?" She whispered, disbelieving. "You're not allied with the Forger, are you?"

"Uh, no." Link glanced at Tom, who shook his head. "Who are you miss…?"

"Eliza." She introduced herself. "I was… a servant, at Ganon's tower. Until one day, while Lord Blind was visiting… I was polishing a chandelier, and I accidentally broke the rope… causing it to fall on Lord Blind. He's kept me down here ever since."

"Well, we'll take you outside." Link promised. "Come on, let's go up and get you out of here…"

"Um…" Eliza hesitated. "I think… wouldn't it be dangerous out there? I mean… do you have friends? You couldn't have gotten in here alone. Maybe if we all left together…"

"Maybe." Link admitted. "Well then, we know a place you can hide. Let's go on up." They went back up to the main floor as Neosquid and Handy ran by, chasing a pair of Black Eyes.

"Hey, kid! It's been six minutes!" Handy yelled. "Hurry it up!"

"Six minutes?" Eliza inquired.

"Nothing." Link shrugged, leading her to the conveyer belt hall. "All right, go on up to the second floor… it's just storage rooms. Nobody will find you up there." Again, Eliza looked worried.

"Er… are you sure? I mean… what if any of the Black Eye Gang went up there after you left? I'd be helpless… I don't know…" At that point, dark suspicions began to surface in Link's mind. He glanced at Tom, who nodded grimly.

"Well… we'll go check it out. Stay here." He instructed. Eliza nodded, and the two of them walked upstairs. Once they were clear of the stairs, he turned to Tom. "Well? Thoughts?"

"She doesn't want to go outside, and she doesn't want to go up here?" Tom looked around at the sunlight shining in through the holes in the thatched roof. "I'm thinking Blind, that's what… Ganon has a order of dark sorcerers on his payroll, the Wizrobes. They could have transformed him… and when the moment's right, he turns back and catches us with our pants down."

"But we can't be sure." Link frowned. "We can't just attack the girl."

"No… but…" Tom examined his map. "Look over here… this room's directly above that one large, empty one." He moved over to the room in question. "And here… the floor's crumbling underneath the beam of sunlight." Link's eyes widened in realization.

"So I take her to the empty room, get her to stand in the middle, and signal you to bust it open?"

"Exactly." Tom nodded. "I'll wait here… get her to the room, then yell."

"Got it." Link went back down and rejoined Eliza, who was looking around nervously for guards. "You were right… there were some up there. Tom's dealing with them."

"Tom?" Eliza frowned. "I thought his name was Rabite."

_Bingo,_ Link confirmed mentally. _We never told her our names, so if she knew his…_ "Oh yeah, my bad. Tom's another guy. Well, let's go… there's another place I know." He led her to the empty room and walked in. "What do you think?" Eliza walked forward and looked around.

"This looks very-" She stepped into the center.

"NOW, TOM!" Link bellowed, and a moment later, the ceiling exploded in rubble as a sledgehammer smashed through it… and a bolt of sunlight hit Eliza head on, transfixing her.

"ARGH!" She screamed. "Too… bright… YAH!" She exploded in a burst of red smoke, and Blind emerged, towering over Link. "Agh… smart move, brat! So, you figured it out… but that's not going to help you…" The grinning demon shook his head and recovered, stretching his claws out. "This time, you're mine for GOOD!"

"Other way around, slime." Link growled, deflecting one hand with the Master Sword and shoving the other aside with his shield. "If all was right in the universe, it would be Handy and Neosquid finishing you off, not me… but since this place is far from right, I'll have to do."

"Ha! Those clowns have nothing to be pissed at me for… I never really tried at all!" Blind crowed. "If I had, they'd have been long dead… I've known their base was in the shooting gallery for years!"

"So you're saying you didn't really try to rub them out?" Link wondered. "Why the heck wouldn't you?"

"And put myself out of a job?" Blind began spewing fireballs, which Link dodged. "If I actually got them, Big G wouldn't have any further use for me! So instead, I've been letting them get away by just a little each time…" His grin resembled a sneer now. "Unless you're referring to a little massacre ten years ago when you're talking about justice and those two?"

"That's it, all right." Link pulled out the Ice Rod and fired it. "And that's why I'm going to take you down, here and now!"

"Wise up, kid… gimmicks like those won't get you a win forever!" Blind contemptuously destroyed the cloud of ice energy with a fireblast before it even touched him, then stared as he saw Link swinging at his neck.

"The word is diversion." Link quipped as the Master Sword went right through Blind's neck. The grinning demon's head flew off, sailing across the room to smack into a wall. "Phew… that was easier than I thought it… would… be…" He stared as the head remained in the air, refusing to fall as gravity dictated… and turned to glare and grin at him.

"Heh… we're just getting STARTED, kid!" Link turned, too late, as one of Blind's claws grabbed the sword and held him aloft by it. A second head had sprouted from the stump of his neck. "Let's get rid of THIS…" Whirling, he slammed Link into the wall with enough force to crack the floorstones. Involuntarily, Link's grip on the sword loosened, and Blind jerked it out, throwing it to the other side of the room. "There! Let's see how good you are without your shiny sword, hm?"

"Oh, you bet we will…" Link growled, rising unsteadily to his feet. A pair of laser beams from Blind's eyes hit him in the chest and knocked him back down.

"Looks like that's 'not at all,' kid. Sucks to be you." Blind advanced on him, floating severed head leering over his shoulder. "I'm gonna make this nice and slow-"

"Oh, NO you don't!" Tom bellowed, jumping down from above and swinging the magic hammer in a broad horizontal circle, blazing with fiery red energy. The second head was knocked off as well, and both were sent flying away. "Link, are you okay? Are you… oh, no."

"Fool!" Blind screamed, belching a fireball that smashed Tom against a wall and following it with a double laser blast. "Taste REAL firepower!" The blacksmith slumped down on the ground next to Link, who was finishing off a red potion. "Ho… up for another round, even without your sword?"

"You bet… you forget about this?" Link shoved the Magic Mirror in Blind's face, and as he screamed, with his other hand the young hero used the Hookshot to pull the Master Sword back to him.

"NO!" Blind's other heads screamed, launching fireballs.

"Yes." Link snarled, grabbing the sword, ignoring the fire and going for Blind's neck one more time. The head flew off, and as it did, all three heads burst into flames, as did Blind's body. Slowly twirling back over to it, the heads settled down upon it as Link stepped back.

"Ha ha ha ha ha…" Blind cackled, his entire body erupting in white-hot flames. "Good job, kid… here's something interesting before I head to hell for real! Big G can't return to his body for now… ever since he departed it, twenty years ago, to roam the Dark World as a bodiless spirit waiting for some poor idiot to possess who he could take back across the other way! He's been gone from his real body too long… and in his new one too long, too! He CAN'T swap them back out! The only way he MIGHT is if his current body is killed, and even he doesn't know if that would free him, or kill him for real!"

"…I don't get it." Link frowned. "Why tell me this?"

"Ha… like I'm supposed to be loyal to him?" Blind laughed once more. "I just joined up for the hell of it… on a lark! I was along for the ride! And he only saw me as a tool to be used… so I don't give a damn about him no more! Tell Handy and Neosquid it was fun… so long, kid! I'm coming, girls!" With one last laugh, the grinning demon's body collapsed entirely into a mound of ash. Tom slowly rose to his feet as, from the ceiling, a crystal descended.

"Lucy… Lucy, you're safe now…"

"Is that you… father?" Lucy whispered. "You're alive… thank the Goddesses. And Link… you slew that demon."

"All in a day's work, ma'am." Link sheathed the Master Sword.

"For the descendant of the hero, I suppose it must be…" Lucy nodded. "The last true Knight of Hyrule." THAT one caused Link to jump.

"What…? Come on, Lucy… you know me. I'm just the same Link who hung around Kakariko Village…"

"Nevertheless, you are descended from the founder of the Knights of Hyrule… and with the order's minds warped by Ganon, you are the only one left to take their name." Lucy persisted. "Thank you for saving me, both of you… Link, the Princess has a message for you." Her eyes went dim for a moment, and then she spoke in Zelda's voice.

"You've rescued four of them now, Link… good job."

"Zelda… I haven't forgotten you." Link promised. "I'll get you back."

"I know you will… but not yet." Zelda shook her head. "Link, the other two Eyes… I've heard about them, and where they dwell. In order to enter… you'll have to seek out the Medallions." Behind him, Link heard Tom breath in sharply.

"Medallions, huh… I suppose I can ask the old guys about those?" The young warrior raised an eyebrow. Zelda nodded.

"You've got it."

"All right." Link smiled. "Stay alive, princess… I'll see you again in person before you know it." Zelda smiled back, and then she was gone from Lucy's body.

"…Link." Tom turned to him. "Thank you… so much. I owe you a tremendous debt… so much that it can never be fully repaid. But… I can begin to, I think." Link blinked.

"Eh?"

"The Master Sword." Tom pointed at it. "Blind shouldn't have even been able to touch it without suffering incredible pain… but he did. That's because of how long it was asleep… much of its original power has faded. But if we return to Hyrule… with my partner Harry, I can temper the blade and restore most of its lost strength."

"All right…" Link thought for a moment. "But I thought you and the other Rag… weren't going to leave until after the fight was over?"

"Haw… no, it's cool kid. If Rabite can spiff up your sword even more, then more power to him." Neosquid grinned as he and Handy walked into the room. "I assume Blind has left the building permanently?" Link indicated the pile of ashes. "Good… that just leaves Vitreous. And Kholdstare, but he doesn't bother us. But before that, let's get back to the base. If Rabite's heading back to Hyrule, then there's only one thing for it…"

"A send-off party!" Handy pumped his… well, his body… into the air. "Come on, everybody, let's bug off before Vitreous shows up! Woo HOO!"


	12. Chapter 11: When Hell Freezes Over

**_Chapter 11: When Hell Freezes Over_**

_Alone. So alone. Always alone. _

_Ice king. King of ice and snow. King cold. All that is cold. All mine. All. _

_Nothing. _

_Time stolen from me, life stolen from me, all gone, how long ago? Memory stolen from me… always the ice king. Nothing before. Not any more. _

_King of the ice, of the palace of ice, of the lake of ice… of the world of ice? No… that would upset the family. And they have paid proper homage to their brother, the ice king… that is good and well. Even Ganon bows before the ice king, offers tribute. _

_The girl. Again she is silent, again she is cold. She is not encased in ice, despite the sister's exhortations… but it is close enough. Blue crystal, blue ice, none can tell down here… none except me. She is not ice. Make her ice, encase her in ice, fill her with ice-NO. She is no ice queen, she would die, and she is a prize only when alive. The magic of water fills her veins, as it once did mine… no. There is no once. There is only the ice king. Leave the girl. She is prize enough as she is, tribute to the ice king from Ganon, and from the family. _

_The family. How long as it been since they visited? Bringing the prize with them… weeks? Months? Years? How long have I been here, in my palace of ice… how long? Centuries…? It matters not. Time matters not. The ice king is always, and the ice king shall be always. Always alone… only the ice king and the prize. And… _

_The other. The flickering one. He darts here and there through the palace of ice, always out of reach, never truly there… just seeming. Pretending to be… to be what? To be… period. He pretends to be, but he does not. He is gone. Gone from my sight, gone from his life… soon shall he return again? Of course. Shall the ice king attempt to engage him in conversation? Talk with him, order him, make him a subject in the palace of ice he dances through like a reflection? He is cold like me… NO. No subjects, no servants, none allowed but me. Me and the prize… and none else. _

_The family may come, but only to visit, and to pay tribute. But not the others… not the insulting, grinning one whose touch burns… not the flying one who sneers in misguided contempt as she flitters around… and not the Forger, the one who tried to enslave me, who tried to break the ice king. He tried, but he failed, and the ice king reigns triumphant. Even that one now bows down… bows to the ice king. Shall he be destroyed for past insolence, for daring to try and rule the ice king? It would be so easy… to freeze it all, the freeze the world, to bring ice down upon it all. But no… the family would not like it. So it shall not happen, because they have behaved correctly. But some day, ah, someday… _

_The ice world. Such a pleasant sound to it. The siblings shall be allowed to leave with their lives, and maybe the others as well if they mend their ways and beg for forgiveness… maybe. All the rest… shall perish. Gone, frozen forever, by the ice king triumphant. Cold as ice, cold as snow, cold is all I ever know… and I shall be here in the ice world, alone. Someday… alone. Someday. _

_Alone. So alone. Always alone. _

_Ice king. King of ice and snow. King cold. All that is cold. All mine. All. _

_Nothing. _

"Ah, good morning Link." Sahasrala greeted the young warrior as he stumbled into the Kakariko bar. "Tom's already been here… you're feeling unwell too?"

"The Rag over in the Dark World gave him a sending-off party." Link explained. "They had a bottle of something that's probably been banned in Hyrule, and I had one of some booze made by Simon. That's why when we came back here the two of us were singing the Ballad of the Frogtown Six. At least they're letting me keep their bottle too."

"I was wondering about that." Aginah remarked. "At least you had the sense to leave the sword here… Tom's already gone to temper it with Harry. They said it would take all day. I believe you said you had something in mind to do during that time last night?"

"Yeah… you guys know all about the activities of the Sages, right?" Link inquired. They nodded. "Good. What became of the Medallions after the struggle? The ones given to my ancestor by the Sages to show their faith and connect their power to his?"

"The Medallions, hm…" Morris's eyes lit up. "Oho… they were reforged, fused together into three of greater power. Bombos, Ether and Quake, hm… sealed away in three different locations across Hyrule." Link snapped his fingers.

"Ether. KNEW that sounded familiar… it's up by the Tower of Hera, right?"

"Correct." Sahasrala took out a pen. "Let me see your map, and I'll indicate the locations of the other two. The Medallions were so powerful, they took extensive measures in protecting them, and linked them to the Master Sword… only its wielder can take them. So I'm afraid you can't actually take them until Tom is done with the sword."

"Darn." Link shook his head. "Well, are there any other trinkets I should know about?"

"Actually, yes." Aginah admitted. "After they finished their work with the Medallions, the Sages each decided to craft another artifact in order to prepare for future conflicts. You've already found three of these artifacts, believe it or not… the Moon Pearl, along with the Fire and Ice Rods. Made by the sages of Spirit, Fire and Water. The other treasures were the Cane of Somaria, the Cane of Byrna, and the Magic Cloak." He shook his head. "Regretfully, the Canes and the Fire Rod were lost to the Dark World in a raid through the cracks between worlds two hundred years ago… the Magic Cape, however, can be found by you as well if you wish, correct, Morris?"

"Yes, I still know where it is, you old coot." Morris grumbled, leaning over the map and making a mark. "My ancestors didn't miss a beat, and neither will I, hm. It's at the site of the old Shadow Temple, though most of that's collapsed by the activity in Death Mountain ages ago, so that one room's all that's left, hm."

"All right." Link stood up. "I'll be off, then… tell the smiths I'll be back tomorrow for my sword."

"Hey, hold it." Sahasrala held up a hand. "One more thing you should check while you're out; Larry's been spotted." Link's eyes widened.

"Seriously? Where?"

"Simon found him in that one forest glade halfway between here and your house." The village chief explained. "He was playing that flute of his, charming the wildlife as usual… but the thing is, when Simon approached, he just sort of faded away. Like a mirage."

"Bizzare." Link scratched his head. "Well, I'll check that out too, I suppose. See you around, guys."

The ruins of the old Shadow Temple, as it turned out, were surprisingly near the Temple of Time's location. Thinking back, Link recalled that a stretch of Death Mountain had once separated the original Hyrule Castle Town and Kakariko Village, where the two temples had been respectively located. Now, all features save the temples themselves and a large graveyard had been erased, and even the Shadow Temple was no more than a hole in a wall. Climbing the ladder, Link walked down the hall, noticing in passing that the passage was clean and tidy; apparently, Morris' line kept the last remnant of their temple in as good shape as possible. In the back, on a raised altar, was a treasure chest that contained a long red cape, trimmed with white. Link couldn't resist trying it on. "Heh heh… look at me, I'm count whatisface! No, wait, I'm the invisible man! Ha ha!" As the name suggested, as soon as he had slipped it on he had vanished. "Probably a real killer on the magic, though…" Reluctantly, he removed it and placed it in his pack along with all his other possessions. "Sheesh, I have a lot of junk. I wonder if Sahasrala will lend me a pack mule. On second thought, never mind; Goddesses know what the Dark World transformation would do to the poor thing. Right, time to go see Larry."

Walking south, Link came to the grove of trees Sahasrala had talked of. As he approached, he heard a familiar tune. "That's Larry's flute, all right…" Running forward, he saw his childhood friend sitting on a tree stump, happily playing a tune. "Larry! Hey, Larry!" As soon as he yelled, the young man became transparent, and a moment later was gone entirely. "…What the heck! I've got a bad feeling about this… I'll have to check it out in the Dark World." Shaking his head, he returned to Kakariko and the smithy. The two smiths were inside, pounding cheerily on the Master Sword with hammers almost as large as their bodies.

"Hey, Link!" Tom turned to greet him. "It'll be another hour at least."

"Really? Huh." Link pulled out the Magic Hammer. "Maybe I could-"

"NO!" Harry, the other smith, yelled, then stammered. "Uh, I mean… thanks for the offer, but amateurs really shouldn't try this." He grinned suddenly. "If you want something to do… why don't you go see Mad?"

"Mad?" Link frowned. Tom grinned as well.

"Ho ho… there's an idea. Mad lives in a cave right next to this smithy, Link… it's hidden by the trees, so most people don't know about it, but it's there. Why don't you go meet her?"

"Well, okay." Link shrugged. "Still. A simple request to go meet a friend… and yet, why does this feel like a set up?"

"Because we're weird old men." Harry harrumphed. "Now go on." Muttering to himself, Link did as they said and soon located the cave. It was short and simple, and the only thing inside was a strange, barbarous altar flanked by a pair of stone dragons. Both they and the altar were green, as was a pair of human hands protruding from the top. Palms up, they held a huge lens of red crystal. Looking at it, Link fought a strange urge to use it as a monocle and instead examined a plaque below it.

"Absolutely do NOT sprinkle magic dust on this… on penalty of bat?" The young warrior raised an eyebrow. "Now I'm REALLY worried… but it doesn't look like there's anything else to do, so here goes nothing." Taking his pouch of magic powder, he sprinkled a healthy handful on the lens. There was a puff of smoke and a screech of raucous laughter, and out of the lens, a purple bat flew up.

"After ten thousand years, I'm free! It's time to… wait, no it ain't. This isn't ten thousand years, there's not enough explosions! What the heck?" Hovering in place, she glared at Link. "OY, YOU! Didn't you read the sign? It said quite plainly, no human sacrifice on penalty of Cucco! Now I'm gonna-"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT!" Link yelled, unpleasant memories of a Cucco incident in his childhood returning. "It doesn't say that! It says no magic powder on penalty of bat!"  
"Really?" The bat flew down and looked at the plaque. "BAH! Oh well. So no Cuccos for you today. Nice to meet you kid! I'm the Greary Fate of Cigam!" Her eyes crossed. "Cigam… cigas… cigars? Cigars! I'm the Cigar Fairy!" A massive stogie appeared in her fangs, and she began puffing. "But you can just call me the Mad Batter. Anyways, where was I…? Oh yeah!" Her eyes began flashing ominously. "You DARED to wake me up from my deep, dark sleep… a curse shall be placed upon you…" She grinned and held up a sign reading Thanks. "A curse of thankfulness! Thanks a lot, kid!"

"Uh…" Link blinked again, completely lost for words. "No problem…?" He noticed that sometime during the conversation, a ridiculous derby hat had appeared on the Batter's head without him noticing.

"Sure! But now… it is time for my revenge!" The Batter's eyes flashed again, and the sign changed to Tanks. "Get ready for it! A revenge of…" She looked at the sign. "Tanks? Sure, you can have a tank-wait, no, those aren't invented yet. Hmph. Well, I suppose it'll have to be magic, then." She raised an eyebrow. "That okay with you, kid? Magic? Come on, I ain't got all day and we'll have to fill the forms out in triplicate."

"Uh… that's fine." Link agreed, still confused. The Batter cheerfully produced a huge stack of papers from nowhere and burned them into nothingness in the same motion.

"Triplicate's done! And BANG!" Four tiny lightning bolts burst out from her wings and orbited the startled Link for a few seconds before exploding harmlessly in bright light, confetti and puppet Ganondorf heads with happy smily faces. "Heh heh heh! I laugh at you, miss fortune! No wait, MISTER fortune!" She blinked. "Wait, that's you? I need your help on a card game on Friday… but never mind that! Now your magic power will drop by one-half!" This registered in Link's brain.

"Say WHAT!"

"Sorry, no returns without a warranty or proof of purchase!" The Mad Batter cackled, and the sign changed to Congratulations. "Now then deary, do your best, although I'm sure it won't be enough!" She drew up a wing in a salute, and fell down back into the lens, vanishing once more. "Have a nice day, and tell that punk Ganon to stop teepeeing my house! See yas!" Link stared at the lens, motionless, then turned and walked out without a word. It was only when he neared the smithy again that he spoke.

"I need another drink. Bad."

"Hey, kid!" Tom poked his head out the door. "Before you get too upset, Mad's little gifts are the exact opposite of what she says they are. If she said she took your wallet, you'll find a grand on the floor of your house. If she said she's turning you into a chicken tomorrow night, then whichever Eye of Ganon you're going after at the time may just sprout feathers."

"She said she halved my magic power." Link replied shortly. A moment later, the realization struck him, and his eyes widened. "Wait. So does that mean… my magic power is actually doubled?" He shook his head. "Well, I still need that drink. If you'll excuse me…"

The next day, Link set off for Death Mountain bright and early, the Master Sword shining even more bright and sharp with its tempering job. The Ether Medallion near the Tower of Hera, the Bombos Medallion on a rise overlooking the Hylian Desert, and the Quake Medallion on a rocky island near Zora's Domain. The first two were no problem; finding the green stone slabs, he held the Master Sword high and was rewarded with a pair of golden disks roughly a foot in diameter. Ether and Bombos, polar opposites, like the Ice and Fire Rods on overdrive; by directing his magic power through them, Link discovered he could release massive bursts of ice or fire that would freeze or fry everything within fifty feet of him. When he went to find Quake, however, there was nothing there; by diving into the Hylian River and dodging Zoras, Link discovered a shimmering blue portal on the lake bottom where the island should have been. "Great. An underwater one… and it took the Quake Medallion when the island collapsed, looks like. King Zora's smart enough that he wouldn't have let his people steal it… which means it's in the Dark World." He shook his head. "About time I got back to there anyways." Returning to Kakariko, he shifted over to the Village of Outcasts the next day and crept around to the shooting gallery. Inside, he found the Rag members lying around, clutching their heads (Handy was just curled up in a lump) and moaning.

"Hey, kid…" Neosquid feebly waved a tentacle. "Try to be quiet, okay? We're unwell."

"Still?" Link demanded in a whisper. "The party was three days ago!"

"Yeah, well, the morning after we all decided on the oldest cure known to mankind." Handy explained. "More of what made us bad in the first place. Same thing yesterday, except we ran out. The two bottles are out in the hall, and you're welcome to ours; I never wanna see it again."

"Right." Link sighed. "Well, anyways, you're all in no condition to go out, so it looks like my next job's solo. Which is probably best anyways."

"Izzat so?" Neosquid muttered. "Found some way into the Misery Mire, have you?"

"Nope." Link shook his head. "I'm not hitting Vitreous next." It took a moment for this to register, and then all the Rag members stared at him.

"Kholdstare!" Handy demanded.

"Yeah." Link nodded firmly. "I'll have to take him out soon anyways… and Vitreous as well as Agahnim will both be expecting me to hit the eyeboy next. They'd never figure I'd be crazy enough to go for Kholdstare before I had to."

"That's because WE'RE not crazy enough to do that, and kid, we ARE crazier than you!" Neosquid protested. "Do you really think you're a match for him? ALONE? I mean, I know you're hot, but…"

"Yeah." Link nodded. "I picked up some arsenal over in Hyrule… and I mean it. I can't even demonstrate these things to you, they're too big. They'd blow up this place." He thought for a moment. "But one of the set got sent here… is there anything bad up in the northeast, where the river comes from?"

"Just a cranky old catfish." Handy shook his fingers. "Doesn't associate with us or Ganon… just stays down there by himself, hoards treasure and throws things at anybody who messes with him."

"Hoards treasure, huh?" Link smiled.

"Yeah, anything he can get his fins on. Think he might have something of yours?" Neosquid inquired. "Be warned, he won't let it go easy."

"That's okay. I think I can persuade him." Link shrugged. "Anyways. Kholdstrae hangs out at this place's equivalent of Lake Hylia, right? If my guess is correct… specifically, his palace's entrance is on an island in the center?"

"Got it in one." Handy admitted. "But it's completely frosted over."

"That firepower I mentioned should handle it… plus, some buddies of mine pointed out that there's a portal that leads directly onto that island, so I can start there without being followed or spotted approaching." Link explained. "That's another reason to do this solo. Less chance of being seen by Kholdstare when I'm in there."

"Kholdstare sees everything in his domain." Neosquid disagreed. "You'd just better hope you interest him enough to get close and dispose of him."

"I'll have to." Link agreed. "Well, I think I'll go see that catfish. See you guys around." Heading northwest, he eventually found the river mouth. Where the island in Hyrule was supposed to be was a circle of stone, and a sign nearby pronounced a curse on anybody who did anything to them. "Hey, catfish!" The young warrior yelled. "You there?" There was no response. "Hello! Catfish! Want to talk to you!" Again, nothing. Shrugging, Link tossed a small pebble into the circle, and a few seconds later, an angry head emerged.

"Stupid brat!" The catfish bellowed. "Here's a present for you, now get lost!" Link jumped back as the catfish spewed a lit bomb at him and dived under. Once the explosion had cleared, Link stood up.

"Oh, that's IT…" Chucking another rock in, he quickly turned and, using the strength of the golden gauntlets from Blind's Lair, hefted a titanic boulder. The catfish emerged once more, even more furious.

"You again! I'll-" He froze as he saw Link holding the boulder.

"I tried being nice, and it didn't work." Link remarked to him. "So we do this the other way. You have a golden medallion, about a foot in diameter. It's mine. Return it to me, or I'll chuck this in your circle of rocks… and that's where your horde is, isn't it? Either do what I say or it's pancaked. Your call." Making strangled noises, the catfish dived and surfaced with a third medallion, like Ether and Bombos. Link took it and nodded. "Right. I'm out of here." Leaving the catfish, he started to walk back to the shooting gallery, then remembered something. "Larry!" Detouring to the grove of trees, he looked inside, then slowly walked forward. "Oh, man… I was afraid of something like this." Sitting on a stump in the center of the clearing was a creature resembling a hybrid of a young man and a tree. He skin was brown and wooden, his arms stuck out like branches and his face had growths and sprouts as well. "Larry? Goddesses, is that you?"

"Li… nk…?" The treeman creaked. "Link… you're… here?"

"It's okay." Link promised. "What the heck happened?"

"Agahnim… the wizard… jumped me." Larry explained slowly. "Said he wanted… to experiment on… sending somebody who wasn't a descendant… without a portal. And then… I came here." Link nodded somberly.

"I'll bring you out." He took out the magic mirror and held it in front of his friend's face, but nothing happened. "What? Why isn't it working?" Looking closer, he realized that Larry's eyes had already become knots of wood. "You can't see… can you? Damn, Blind was right…"

"Yeah… I'm blind… who was-never mind. It's too late…" Larry muttered. "I'm turning into a tree. It was slowed down... somehow… everybody else transforms instantly, but my flute… did something… I buried it when Agahnim cornered me, before he brought me down. In the grove… right in front of this stump. When I was sent… it started playing by itself… and I only transformed slowly. But… it's not permanent. I'm lost. Can't move, Link… can't walk, can't even twitch, can barely speak." Link shook his head.

"Larry, I'm so sorry…"

"Can you… get it for me?" Larry pleaded. "Bring it… let me hear it… one more time?" Link nodded.

"Just hold on. I'll be right back." Looking into the magic mirror, he returned to Hyrule and ran to the town, where he surprised both blacksmiths by bursting in and grabbing a newly made shovel off a rack. "I need to borrow this! Sorry, I'll explain later!" Running back to the grove, he dug where Larry had told him and soon unearthed the instrument. "I never thought this looked much like a flute." Link murmured to himself quietly, picking up the strange blue, vaguely fish-shaped instrument. "It's a woodwind, but… something familiar about it? If he's right, and it affected his transformation… what kind of power does this thing have? Wonder about that later. The closest portal… the swamp." Crossing back to the Dark World, he ran up to Larry. "Okay. I'm here." Taking a moment to remember, he lifted the flute to his mouth and began playing an old, familiar tune Larry had always been fond of.

"Thank you." Larry whispered once he was done. "One last… request. Take… my flute… back to my grandfather. Let him know… what happened to me. Goodbye… Link." And then his clothing turned to bark as well, and the bark of his body flowed together and joined with the dead stump… and there was nothing there but a squat, young tree. Sighing, Link placed a hand on where the shoulder of his friend had been, then turned and left.

"These have been sad times for all of us." Sahasrala spoke sadly to the crowd of Kakariko Villagers gathered before us. "With the troubles, we had forgotten to give proper respect to those who have fallen already. Our king, Lucas… Brian, caretaker of the Sanctuary… Albert, former Captain of the Knights of Hyrule… and Quincy, a good friend of mine. And now another, Larry, a child of this village whose life was undeservingly cut short. Those whose bodies we have been able to claim are buried in the graveyard… and all that remains, are our memories of them." He nodded at Link, who began to play the flute, the same tune that had been Larry's favorite. As he did, Tom raised his voice in a slower, solemn version of one of the ballads the Rag had sang a few days ago, remembering their own fallen.

"One by one we pass on, we become dead and gone, and others are left here to grieve… so here's to the friends who have gone to their ends, and here's to the next one to leave." As the last notes of the song faded off, everybody's eyes were drawn to a speck in the sky, approaching at high speed. It was a bird, a white flat-beaked one of unknown species, almost as large as a man. Silently, they all watched as it landed in front of Link.

"An avian familiar?" Aginah wondered. "Your ancestor was befriended by an owl of tremendous proportions… it seems this fellow intends to aid you in a similar fashion. But if it's summoned by that instrument…"

"Sir, if you don't mind…" Morris turned to George, Larry's grandfather. "How did your family line come across that instrument?"

"I'd heard one of my ancestors was given it be the royal family as a gift…" George explained quietly.

"It's not a flute at all, then…" Link realized, looking it over. "It's an ocarina… THAT ocarina…" He shook his head. "Well… what can you help me with, buddy?" The bird held out a wing, and after a moment Link dittoed the action with his arm. Instantly, the bird flew forward, grabbed his arm in its talons, and flew off, somehow carrying him as well. "WHOA!" Link stared down at the disbelieving faces of the villagers below as they soared off. "Geez! A little lower, maybe? Just a little?" The bird complied obligingly. "Good… now just don't let go! Where are we going?" As if uncertain itself, the bird began circling. "How about Lake Hylia? Can you take me there?" In response, the bird immediately turned and flew southeast, reaching the Lake in only a few minutes. "Right, land on the island in the center." Doing so, the bird released his hand and turned to face him. "Whew… that's convenient. Thanks, buddy." It quacked happily. "So… will you come whenever I play this baby in Hyrule?" It nodded. "Awesome. I'll see you later, then… I've got a job to do." Quacking again, the bird flew off. Link began to uncover the pile of rocks that blocked the portal, then paused. "Actually… I think I'll take a look around here first." All that was on the island, aside from the portal, was a small cavern… the remains of the Water Temple that had once laid below Lake Hylia. Glancing inside, Link raised his eyebrows. There was a pool of water, with several fairies flying over it… and one of them, far larger than the rest, identical to the Great Fairy of Wisdom.

"Hello, Link." She greeted him. "I was wondering when you would come to see me."

"Hello, ma'am." Link smiled. "I would have come by earlier, but I didn't know where you were… good thing I decided to look in here before heading off on my next mission."

"Indeed." The Fairy nodded. "Like my sister, I am only too glad to aid you once more. Now what can I do… aha, I know." She concentrated, and Link suddenly felt the weight on his back lighten. "There you go… I've enchanted that pack of yours. It can carry as much as you need without weighing you down now… and your quiver of arrows and bomb bag, too. Their size isn't a limit anymore… they'll hold a practically infinite amount."

"Handy." Link thanked her. "I appreciate it, ma'am. Now then, I'd better go fight the good fight and all that."

"You may call on us for aid any time." The Great Fairy waved as he walked back out and stepped onto the portal. The world shimmered around him, and Link appeared in the Dark World, standing in front of a massive slab of ice that covered the entrance of the cavern. Ice covered the island completely, and ice covered the waters beyond it, freezing the lake's waters in perpetual immobility. Link looked at the entrance, then chuckled. "Well, then… if Neosquid and Handy are right, and Kholdstare sees me here no matter what I do… then I might as well start things off with a bang to get his attention." He raised the Bombos Medallion above his head, and from the golden disk a chain of fire spiraled outward, encircling him once and leaving a trail of flames behind it before blasting violently outward, filling the air with explosions. Only Link was untouched by the burning blast; all around him, the ice had been ruined. What was not melted had been shattered and blown away. The way forward was cleared. "Right… if THAT doesn't interest him, nothing will." And Link walked forward, into the frozen tomb.

"_You have arrived…"_ A voice hissed ahead of him. Embedded in the wall, two frozen humanoid figures stood silently watching… and then their eyes glowed red and they peeled themselves out of the stone, and lurched forward. Link started to go for his Bombos again, then shook his head.

"No, can't overuse that or I'll be out of magic in no time, even with a green and two blues… and a red, but enough semantics. Yah!" Whipping out the Fire Rod instead, he hit each of the frost ghouls with a shot from it, and they melted in seconds. He walked beyond them, and down a flight of stairs. As he entered the next room, several bizarre green creatures turned to glare at him. They had feathers and scales, both green, and were bipedal with flippers, but their faces were elongated with maws full of sharp teeth. "What the hell? Some kind of penguin… alligators?" The Pengators grinned and advanced on Link, who was forced to fend them off with the Master Sword before they chewed him to shreds. Once they were all dead, he examined the room; there was no door or staircase, but a hole in the floor was visible through the encasing ice. Melting that spot with another Fire Rod blast, Link prepared to jump down when something caught his eye… something reflected in the ice on a wall. Turning to look at it, he saw nothing. "Hm…" The young warrior thought for a moment, then shrugged and jumped down, landing on the floor below. "Right then, I… oh, MAN…" Standing before him was a huge human skeleton, over ten feet tall, wearing shreds and tatters of armor, and holding a massive longsword. Eyes glowing, it lunged at him. Link barely managed to dodge the swing, but his return stroke smashed the skeleton apart into a heap of bones. "Phew… now-aw, no." He groaned as the bones rose and began to come back together.

"_No sword can defeat the Stalfos Knight alone…"_ The same voice that had greeted Link at the entrance of the Ice Palace informed him, and he jumped. He had thought that was the icemen, but it seemed not to be the case.

"Just like King Lucas, huh…"Link smiled grimly, remembering the royal undead. "Well then, I'll take this guy down the same way." Felling the Stalfos Knight once more, he dropped a lit bomb into the bone pile and jumped away. The explosion obliterated the skeletal guard. "Right. Now then, who… are you…" Looking around, Link discovered that the room was empty. "Hmph… that could get annoying real fast. Oh well." Entering the next room, Link passed a long conveyer belt with inconveniently placed spiked walls and descended another floor, where a line of Pengators greeted him with open maws. This time, the young hero took a nasty bite on one arm before wiping out the last enemy. A moment later, the room began shaking wildly. "Uh-oh… Kholdstare's doing?" As if in response, the floor of ice crumbled away, revealing open air beneath. "I'll take that as a YES!" He cursed mildly as he landed a floor below, in a long room floored with ice like all the others and walled with spikes. "Have to be careful not to slide too much here…" He frowned as he saw a dim reflection in the icy floor. Before he could look clearly at it, it moved behind him. He didn't turn. "All right, whatever you are. You seem to be interested in me… so don't run away when I turn around this time. Just let me see you." Turning as he had said he would, Link saw the shadowy reflection standing still and gazing calmly at him. It was a thin old man dressed in blue, with a paintbrush mustache and a tiny hat… and despite his reflection, he was not in the room.

"_Link… Albert's nephew… the hero."_ The old man whispered. "_Here to save my daughter…"_ A chill ran up Link's spine, and it wasn't the temperature of his surroundings.

"Then there's only two people you could be… and you don't look at all like Agahnim's actual soul. Which means… you're Quincy. The one that died."

"_Indeed… slain by the forger, in the body of my friend."_ Quincy confirmed sadly. "_And my soul has remained by my daughter ever since, watching her… I can do no more. But you… you have slain four of the Forger's deadliest demons, and rescued four of the girls. Perhaps you can even slay the beast who rules this frozen tomb… and bring my Wendy back to Hyrule."_

"That's the plan." Link agreed. "Can you show me the way?"

"_Follow me…"_ The shade of Quincy flickered towards one of several doorways in the large room, and Link followed it through. Two more Stalfos Knights menaced him there, and though they nearly overpowered him, Link brought them both down in the end. It was only then that he noticed the door was covered by a metal shutter. Looking around, he saw no trace of a switch; only a gargoyle with a protruding tongue.

"Why the hell not." Grabbing the tongue, he pulled, and it extended outward with a click as the door opened. "Huh! Whaddaya know." He followed Quincy's shade onward, through colder and deeper and darker tunnels, facing Stalfos Knights, ice guardians and Pengators by the score, until they came to a cross-shaped room and Quincy paused.

"_The path on the right is quickest to Kholdstare…"_ He explained. "_But to the left, we will find a treasure you may need. If you wish it, then we must take the key to that chest from the north…"_

"Haven't missed a treasure yet… let's go for it." Link decided, heading north. This actually took him up several levels through single rooms, until he found the key and went back down, losing track of just how far down he was… at least six floors. Maybe even seven. Back to the crossroads room, and take the left path, to another room floored only in ice. Two ice wraiths attacked, and Link burned them… then sat down, hard, suddenly feeling weak. "Uh… finally out of magic…" Taking out his green potion, he drained it. "There we go… took longer than I'd think. The Mad Batter knew what she was doing… no, wait, she totally didn't. Ah well." Burning a path through the floor, he dropped down in front of a huge chest and opened it with the key. Inside was an aged, faded blue tunic of the same cut as the green one he was wearing, along with a yellow cap. "Huh? A wardrobe change?"

"_The tunic was manufactured by the Zoras."_ Quincy's shade informed him. "_It is highly resistant to ice and water, as well as having more general defensive capability than ordinary cloth… and you can even breath underwater."_

"Nifty." Link nodded. "Right… which way to Kholdstare now?" Quincy's shade obligingly led him to a huge steel block on the floor.

"_Under here is the master of this domain."_

"That's all I have to do to get to him now? Lift this block?" Link scratched his head. "Wow. And here I thought it'd be harder."

"_I must confess I was surprised as well, considering how much there is in the rest of the palace."_ Quincy admitted. They both stared at the block for a moment longer, then shrugged. "_Who knows."_

"Yeah. Oh well, here goes nothing…" Grunting, Link managed to grab the edges of the block with the Titan's Mitt and heft it overhead, then hurl it away from him and jump down into the pit that was revealed beneath it. The room he landed in was perfectly cubical; identical, flat ice on all sides. Save for the one before him… for embedded in it was a massive structure of frozen crystals, jutting out at every angle possible. And inside this mass… a single eye looked down at him.

"So… you have come to me." Kholdstare boomed. "Small one… you would have been a frozen statue long ago, but your impudence… your sheer arrogance… interested me, from the beginning when you dared unleash such fires upon my domain. And now you are here… doubtless to bow down before me, and proclaim servitude for the king of ice and snow." The eye bulged with madness as it beheld Qunicy's shade. "And you as well, flickering one… you have been here long, but I have never stopped you, and you have never shown yourself to me… until now, when you finally give in and beg me for forgiveness, yes?" Slowly, Link drew his sword.

"No." He said flatly. "I come here to stand against you, Kholdstare… and all that you represent. You are no king… you're just another one of the Eyes of Ganon."

"INSOLENT PUP!" Kholdstare roared. "Do you realize who you are dealing with? I am KHOLDSTARE, and soon, I shall rule this world as a frozen wasteland!"

"Talk is cheap… and that sounded a lot better then your boss said it." Link taunted him. "Do your talking with your strength, not your mouth, from now on… you don't have much time to do it left, after all."

"Very well! Then I shall do as you wish, and bury you in the cold!" Kholdstare howled, and the room began shaking. Link was knocked off his feet despite himself, and he looked up… as the ceiling began breaking, and massive chunks of ice fell towards him. Forcing himself up, Link tried to avoid them; the pieces of ice were large enough to flatten him instantly. But even when he managed to scramble away, the chunks broke into shrapnel that struck him sharply. Growling, he lunged with the Master Sword, but only succeeded in removing a tiny chip from Kholdstare's icy casket. "GAH HA HA! Is that all you can do, whelp?" Growling, the young warrior tried a mighty over-handed blow, and the Sword sank deep in the ice… and lodged there. Kholdstare's laughter doubled as he was knocked away from it by an ice chunk, and was forced to move further back to avoid death. "Pathetic… I feel sympathy for you, lad. I shall give you another chance… apologize profusely, and I shall forgive this insult!"

"Forget it… we're just getting started!" Link growled, pulling out his Fire Rod and unleashing it, straight at the point where his sword was stuck. The ice melted, and Kholdstare screamed in rage as the Master Sword slipped free in a rush of boiling water. The room's shaking doubled in intensity, and ice chunks fell more frequently, but Link continued to fire the Rod, wading through the rising water at his feet… then stumbling… then swimming. "Hey! What the-?"

"You finally notice, but too late!" Kholdstare yelled as the water level rose even more. "This ice is mine to control in all of its forms! Let us see how you fight when you cannot even breath, lad!" The water level reached the room's ceiling, and Kholdstare laughed… and then he saw Link having no trouble breathing at all. "What in the name of Morpha-oh, yes… I forgot! You stole my tunic… my treasure!"

"Yeah, I did." Link snarled, whipping the Fire Rod out… with no effect. He stared, and Kholdstare laughed once more.

"Ha ha ha! Trying to start a fire in water… your foolishness knows no bounds! Give up now, boy? Ready to accept me as your lord and master?"

"Not EVEN when Hell freezes over!" Link roared defiantly, swimming forward with the Master Sword. Dodging a slowly falling ice chunk, he reached Kholdstare and began hacking wildly, chipping him away bit by bit. "I'll just keep at you… keep breaking you down until I reach the real you, and then I'll break that too!"

"Brave words, but futile!" Kholdstare brought another chunk of ice down, and Link was grazed on the shoulder by it. "Such would take you days, and I will destroy you long before-eh?" The barely visible eye widened noticeably… as the water began going down. Link turned and stared as well, at the shade of Quincy trapped on the icy wall.

"_I am the descendant of Ruto, Sage of Water…"_ The spirit growled. "_I may be dead, with my power gone… but converting water from one form to another is nothing for me! Not when my daughter's life is on the line! Finish it, Link!"_ The air above the water was filled with clouds of water vapor that grew and grew as the liquid shrank. As Link's feet touched solid ground once more, he pulled out the Bombos Medallion.

"I've had enough of the cold." The fiery medallion filled the room with explosions, and Kholdstare screamed as all the ice came down at once in a furious collapse. Link was battered all over by the collapse, and he felt even more drained internally… his magic had been used up once more. "Did I do it? Did that finish him…?" He stared at the enemy eye, hovering in place, and looking not at all defeated. "No… good thing I brought this much stuff!" He drained a blue potion as a pink gas began to be emitted from Kholdstare's core, spreading out to fill the room. By the time Link could stand once more, all around him was pink mist. He couldn't even see Quincy's Shade any more… just the one, single, angry eye before him. And then… it was not one, but three eyes. Separating, they began moving around in the mist.

"You wretch…" Kholdstare hissed. "Damn you… it's so hot now… but I still live! Even without my ice, I live! I am unstoppable… I am the KING OF THIS WORLD!" Shooting forward, the masses hidden in the mist slammed forward, pinning Link between them. They backed off, then slammed forward again, repeating the attack. "Perish! Die and perish, fall to the ice king!" Link stood up.

"No."

"FOOL!" Kholdstare hit him again, bringing him to his knees. "Yield! Yield, boy! Bow down to me, worship me, beg for mercy, and I shall spare your miserable life!"

"NO." Link repeated, standing and drinking his red potion. As Kholdstare started forward again, he raised the Bombos Medallion once more, and fire blazed out, igniting the pink mist. Kholdstare screamed as all the eyes were engulfed, and shot forward once more, but this time Link stood without faltering, and activated the Bombos again. "Your ice is gone… all that's left is you. So I'll burn you, and burn you, and burn you again and again, until NOTHING is left!" The Bombos flared, and Kholdstare screamed. "And not just you! All of you, all the Eyes of Ganon! You! Blind! Mothula! Vitreous! Arrghus! Agahnim! Even GANON himself!" The Bombos flared, and Kholdstare whimpered. "After you die, I'll kill the last ones… I'll kill Ganon, too! Just like I'll kill you… like I killed you sister, Arrghus, before you! She's already DEAD, Kholdstare, and you're joining her, here and now!" The Bombos flared, and Kholdstare burned. Link, as he had been, had gone… in his place, something else had arisen. Something as old as Ganon… something terrible, and wrathful. "You, all of you, are nothing more than a plague on Hyrule, and on this world too… and it is MY task, as the Juror of Courage, to remove you!" As two of the eyes withered and boiled away into nothingness, taking most of the pink mist with them, Link discarded the Medallion and advanced grimly on the remaining eye, in the last clump of haze, beaten and bloody. He forced the Magic Mirror into it, and Kholdstare screamed one last time, as an agony greater than any flame filled him… and then the Master Sword descended, and the last of the mist faded and disappeared, leaving the room empty and silent. Link stood and looked around for any sign of Quincy, but there was none; the ice was all gone, and there was nothing to reflect the shade. There was only the blue crystal, descending from the ceiling, and enlarging to reveal Wendy, his daughter.

"My father thanks you, Link." She told him right away. "He's already gone on… the moment Kholdstare's death was assured, he left this plane. He thanks you for rescuing me… and adds his blessing to those of the other descendants."

"I couldn't have done it without him." Link said honestly.

"No… I think you would have found a way." Wendy disagreed. "Your power is amazing, Link… it still remains as strong as it was centuries ago, in the time of the original Sages. Their powers were beyond comprehension… but with time, their blood has thinned. Unlike you, we are far weaker than they were… our power has dwindled. In his spectral form, it was all my father could do to simply change the water's form." She looked downcast for a moment, then brightened up. "But if we combine all of our powers… the seven of us, plus you… we can stand against whatever Ganon has. I heard your speech… you may just be able to do it." Link's eyes widened as he suddenly realized what he had said.

"Kill… Ganon? I can't… my ancestor couldn't, I mean… I couldn't, back then. And if I couldn't then, how can I now?"

"You may have to." Wendy urged him. "If we've miscalculated somehow on the massive opening at Hyrule Castle… if it opens completely before we can stop it, or if it remains strong enough even after we are all freed…" Link winced.

"Goddesses, I hope that doesn't happen. Let's just focus on what we know right now… freeing the other two."

"Very well… but I think you could do it." Wendy encouraged him. "For now, though… shall we leave this pit?" Link nodded.

"Yeah… I've got an appointment with a hot shower back in Kakariko. VERY hot. Let's get going."


	13. Chapter 12: Eye Spy

_**Chapter 12: Eye Spy **_

"Milord Ganon?" The wizard bowed as he entered the room. "You sent for me?"

"Ah, yes. Rise." Agahnim instructed him. "You'll be the current head of the Wizrobe order… Zektal, isn't it?"

"Yes, milord." Zektal nodded.

"And up until her death, you were second to Mothula, one of my Eyes." Agahnim continued. "That's why I've asked you to join me here in my Tower. With my Eyes nearly annihilated, you're the next highest ranking among my minions… and more importantly, with how much time you spent with Mothula, you're the surviving expert in the fields she labored in. I'm really more of a power ruler, you see… I don't like it to get around, but I was never really at home in the book smarts and laboratories business. And thus, I need your advice on a few matters."

"However I can help." Zektal promised.

"Good man." Agahnim clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's take a walk around, shall we?" Zektal nodded, and the two of them left the throne room and began wandering through the halls of the Tower. After a few moments of silence, Agahnim spoke again. "First of all, Zektal… is Project Trinexx still holding together?"

"Perfectly, milord." Zektal assured him. "My mistress's final attempt still looks to be a complete success… there are no signs of deterioration at all. Trinexx will be at Turtle Rock whenever you need him."

"That's right where I want him, actually." Agahnim informed his underling. "I'll be sending something there soon… something important."

"Than Trinexx is the one for the job." Zektal boasted. "He's without question the second most deadly weapon my mistress ever created… the King Helmasaur isn't anywhere near the same level."

"Second?" Agahnim raised an eyebrow, and Zektal coughed.

"Well, there was the matter of… Project Nightmare, milord. A century ago."

"Oh, yes…" Agahnim's eyes lit up. "Nightmare… Mothula's hubris. We never did find out where that thing ran off to… probably for the best. Some should be outcast even from here…" He shook his head. "But enough of that. Nightmare is long gone, and we must focus on the present. Next topic. Before her demise, Mothula was planning a device that could extract my soul from this body. Unfortunately, she was killed right after she completed Trinexx, so the device was never built. Would you have the necessary skill to build it in her stead?"

"I'm afraid I probably do not, milord." Zektal admitted. "Such a device would be beyond the capabilities of any save my departed mistress… an attempt by me would stand an equal chance of catapulting your soul into the sun, or backfiring you into the body of a completely random denizen of this world." Agahim thought about some of the creatures in his employ and shuddered.

"Damnation. Still, Mothula was not born with her skill… in time, you will be able to perfect your art to the same degree as her, correct?" Zektal slowly nodded.

"Perhaps in a few centuries… yes, milord."

"Annoying, but not critical." Agahnim noted. "As long as another matter is taken care of, that is… ah, here we are." He opened a door and led Zektal into a small, dark room… a room containing a blue crystal, large enough to contain a Hylian… which this one did.

"Ganon. It's been a few days." Princess Zelda greeted him coldly. "And a Wizrobe as well… with your last Eye here too, it's getting to be a regular party in this room." She glared over at one of Vitreous' eyes, which was watching silently from a corner.

"Charming as always, Princess." Agahnim nodded back. "How has she been, Vitreous?"

"Weakening, despite this show of bravado." Vitreous reported slowly, sounding strangely emotionless. "The conflict between her crystal and the Tower's force field is reaching the critical level… I'm no expert, but I'd wager we have maybe half a day to get her out of here before she goes bang."

"Fortunately, we do have an expert here." Agahnim nodded at Zektal. "Is he right?" Zektal observed the level of the crystal's glow and slowly nodded.

"Lord Vitreous was right on the mark. In roughly twelve hours, if the Princess remains here, her crystal will violently cease functioning, killing her in the process… rather explosively."

"Well, we can't have that." Agahnim purred to Zelda, who snorted. "That's the real reason I need you here, Zektal…" He raised his forearm, and the symbol of the Triforce appeared on it; in response, it shone on Zelda's arm as well. "I need you to tell me, Zektal… what would happen if I were to attempt to take the Triforce of Wisdom from the Princess." Vitreous' pupil widened, and Zektal took a step back.

"Milord…" He thought for a moment. "I… do not think it would be a good idea." There was a moment of absolute silence, and then Agahnim turned on him, smiling pleasantly. Zektal began shaking as his master spoke two words, slowly and calmly.

"Why not?"

"I… know that the pieces of the Triforce are bonded to their wielders' bodies as well as their souls." Zektal stammered. "Your Triforce of Power remains with your true body… despite how its mark has followed your soul to its current body, you cannot call upon its strength."

"True." Agahnim admitted. "Continue."

"Thus, if you were to take the Triforce of Wisdom in your current state, it would be bonded to THIS body, not your true one." Zektal continued. "And with the body, it would belong to this man's soul, not yours… you would be unable to use its power, and until you had access to your true body once more, unable to transfer it. And if… well…"

"If I was killed? Is that what you're trying to say? If this body was slain?" Agahnim guessed. "An unfortunate possibility, more and more. If that happened, then even if my soul survived and returned to its proper body…"

"Then the Triforce of Wisdom would not accompany it." Zektal confirmed. "It would return to the Princess… after so much time with her bloodline, it has become somewhat acclimated to them."

"Then stealing it now from her… would be pointless. I can't take the Triforce of Wisdom as long as I'm in this mortal shell… which I needed in order to gain access to the Triforce of Wisdom in the first place!" Agahnim growled, turning to glare at the Princess, who was smirking triumphantly. "You knew this, princess… that's why you've been so calm and cool all this time!"

"I guessed it." Zelda corrected mildly. "I DO have the Triforce of Wisdom, after all… I attempted to study these things-" She gasped as Agahnim slammed her crystal into a wall.

"Well, then what would happen if I killed you, here and now?" The wizard snarled angrily.

"Milord… I don't recommend it." Zektal forced himself to interrupt, mentally cursing himself for a martyr. "It would cause the Triforce to go to any remote offshoot branch of the royal family that might have been forgotten in Hyrule… and with her death, her soul would be able to cross back there easily, meaning there would only be one remaining girl for our enemy to free in order to repair the barrier." Slowly, Agahnim nodded.

"And we can't keep her here… so all we can do is send her away, like we did with the others. I have no choice in the matter… I, the Forger of Power, am helpless in this despite everything." He took a deep breath, and then he screamed, howling like a tornado, as whips of lightning blasted out from his hands, raking the walls. Zelda, Vitreous and Zektal all dived to the floor as the Forger of Power took out his fury on the room around him. When the magic died down and the dust cleared, walls and ceiling had all been eradicated, leaving open space to all the rooms beyond and around them. Everything else in the room had been destroyed as well, and only the inhabitants remained, staring at the furious wizard. After a few more moments, he spoke in a near-whisper. "Zektal. Take the Princess to Turtle Rock. Have Trinexx and everything else there guard her with their lives. Afterwards, assemble your order and have them teleport to Misery Mire. You will patrol it and destroy Link when he arrives to confront Vitreous." Zektal saluted.

"As you command, milord!" Murmuring, he created a rope of magical energy that wrapped around Zelda's crystal, and he towed her out of the demolished room and away down the halls. When they were gone, the Forger turned to Vitreous.

"And you… my last surviving Eye… call back all your component parts. All of them. I want you to have every single one of them at your disposal if the worst comes to pass and Link breaks through to you."

"As you wish." Vitreous replied in the same dull tone he had used when speaking before.

"I mean it, Vitreous." Agahnim commanded. "I know your siblings are gone… as are your friends. But don't just roll over and die. Fight him, Vitreous. Kill him. I know you can do it… you have to. You have to live."

"Because I'm a valuable tool for you, right?" Vitreous chuckled as he began floating away.

"Exactly… you're the last one, Vitreous." Agahnim explained, turning away. "My last Eye… the last servant I've truly known well. The others have all left me… don't do the same." Vitreous hovered motionless for a moment, then replied.

"I'll try, master. That's all I can promise." And then he was gone, leaving the Forger of Power alone in his ruins.

"About time that old coot figured out where the portal was here…" Link muttered to himself as the flute bird carried him towards the south-eastern edge of the Hylian Desert. "Oh well, at least he did it at all… otherwise I'd have no way to get in to take out Vitreous." Landing on ledge that jutted out from a cliff face, Link waved goodbye to the bird and unearthed the now-familiar shimmering blue portal. "And there it is. Let's see what the Misery Mire looks like." Passing through, he looked out over the mire, and raised an eyebrow. "Depressing." A massive rain shower covered most of the mire, obscuring its contents from his vision, but what he could see was green sludge covering the ground, with vines, mushrooms and lily pads cluttering it. A blue worm, like a miniature Lanmola, rose from the murk and then sank again. Link grimaced. "Man, I can't see three feet in front of my face… I'll never find Vitreous this way. This place looks lovely."

"You think it LOOKS bad, try living in it for a while." A voice behind Link cracked. Turning, the young warrior found that it was a beetle like creature, hovering a few feet off the ground. "Hey, you didn't transform… neat trick, that. How'd you manage it?"

"Little thing called the Moon Pearl." Link shrugged. "Would you happen to be named Bugoff, by the way?"

"Oho!" The beetle grinned. "You know the Rag? If you've got the Moon Pearl, I suppose it's not that big a leap to guess that you can move back and forth between worlds…"

"You got it." Link nodded. "I'm here to kill Vitreous… and before you tell me he's too tough, you should know. He's the last Eye of Ganon still alive… I've already killed the other four." Bugoff's eyes widened.

"Serious? Sheesh, kid… I don't suppose you can help me get out of here, then?"

"Well…" Link looked up at the storm clouds covering the Mire. "This storm prevents you from flying away, right?"

"Yeah… Ganon has a bunch of magicians working for him, the Wizrobe order." Bugoff explained. "Some spell of theirs has kept it like this over the Mire ever since it was sealed. But if you've got some kind of magic that can counter their weather control…"

"I've got something that's worth a shot." Link explained, drawing out the Ether Medallion. "Let's give this a whirl." A lance of ice energy blasted down through the sky to strike the Medallion, leaving a hole in the storm, and a moment later, the Medallion released clouds of frigid air in all directions. Bugoff ducked and covered as they cut through the storm clouds and left them resembling Swiss cheese. The few remnants disappeared momentarily, and the golden sky of the Dark World was revealed.

"Sheesh, kid… give a guy a little warning next time, huh? Ah well, at least it worked."

"Yeah." Link looked over to the north end of the Mire, where a mass of plant life was massed together to form the shape of a monster's head, with a mouth large enough to enter. "I'm guessing that's the way into Vitreous' actual lair. Go ahead and fly back to the Rag and let them know you're still alive, and that I've got this covered."

"Gotcha." Bugoff nodded. "Good luck, whoever you are!" He buzzed away, and Link crossed the mire to walk into the mass of vegetation. Descending a staircase, he entered a stone tunnel.

"At least it's not all oozy and such down here." The young warrior commented. Turning a corner, he found himself staring down the hall at a line of humanoid figures, clad in green robes and broad-brimmed, pointed straw hats that hit their faces. As one, they raised their arms and fired crescent-shaped blasts of magical energy. Link quickly ducked back around the corner. "Huh… those must be the Wizrobes. Ganon's pet magicians, eh…"

"Surrender or flee, Hero of Time!" One of them called. "There is no way to get past us!"

"Oh, we'll see about that…" Link growled to himself. "I could just Medallion these guys, but that'd use more magic than I'd like… aha, here's something better." Slipping on the Magic Cape, he calmly walked down towards the Wizrobes, who took no notice of him.

"Think he's going to try again?" One of them asked its neighbor.

"Probably." The second Wizrobe snickered. "Looked like your normal sword-slinging oaf, so we'll probably have to blast him a few more times before he gets-ARGH!" He went down, bleeding heavily, along with the three others closest to him as Link unleashed the whirling blade strike. The remaining two stared, stunned, and by the time they had recovered Link was already on them.

"Six Wizrobes down." He grunted, removing the Cape. "Next!" He entered a large room with a multitude of doors, some open, some jammed closed. "Ugh… I hate this kind of setup." Choosing one on the right, he found himself at the south end of a long bridge over a pit. "This looks familiar…" He began running across, and nodded as he heard it start to collapse behind him. "Same trick as in the Palace of Darkness-WHOA!" He dived to the floor barely before a laser beam shot out of the wall right where his head had been. "Okay, maybe not! Damn!" Quickly getting back to his feet, he started off just before the collapse caught him. Several more beams fired, but now that he knew about them, Link was able to duck and keep moving. At the other end of the bridge, he found a large treasure chest. "Oh, good… and I don't have the key yet." He considered trying to smash it, like Tom had done with the one in Blind's lair, but decided against it; he didn't have the smith's massive arm strength. The door on his left opened and then closed behind him once he had gone back into the room with many doors. This time, he took one to the north, then stared at what he found beyond; a field of spikes in the floor with another door far beyond, too far even for his Hookshot to reach. "Bah, flying people only I guess…" Muttering, he took another northern door. This one led him on a circuit of high-railed bridges over other rooms, allowing him to see them without accessing them; in the end, he was returned to the room of many doors.

"Man, Vitreous likes his complicated dungeons…" Link growled, taking a door on the left next. Inside were four brown slugs who immediately began crawling towards him while beginning to spit out bombs. "Right, can't have THIS…" Clearing them out, Link discovered that the only other door in the room was locked. "What is WITH this place?" Turning around AGAIN, he took the last open door in the large room, another one on the left. The floor in the room was filled with square tiles. "Aw, no, not again…" To his dismay, they began launching themselves at him. Once that was fended off, he walked up a staircase to a ground-level floor that was apparently in the cliff behind the Mire.

"It's the Hero! Annihilate him!" Another Wizrobe yelled, and two more joined him in blasting at Link. Diving under the shots, the young warrior pulled out the Fire Rod and returned fire, setting their heads ablaze and then finishing them with the Master Sword. The room was floored with metal grating, and there were several holes large enough for him to drop through; through one, Link could see safe ground to land on, with a large key nearby.

"Well, it's about TIME…" Hopping down, he grabbed the key. The door in the room opened once he did; it was the second door in the large central room that was one-way. "Right, the chest first…" Running the bridge of lasers once more, which had rebuilt itself since he had gone through last, Link opened the chest and pulled out a red wooden cane. "This must be the Cane of Somaria or… what was the other one? Can't remember… I'll just call this one Somaria, then. Hm… the old men never did tell me just what the heck they did…" He waved the Cane in front of him, and blinked as it created a block of some strange, solid matter three feet square. "Well… that's new…" He tapped it with his sword; whatever it was, it was as hard as steel. Maybe even moreso. "Can't see much use in it, though… unless…" He tapped the block with the Cane instead, and with a loud noise, it shattered into four blasts of magic that shot out in an X pattern. "THERE we go. And it takes a lot less magic to use than the Medallions… could be useful if I get surrounded." Placing the Cane of Somaria into his pack with all of his other gear, Link returned to the locked door in the north and opened it. It led to the south side of another huge pit; this one was spanned by a flimsy wood-and-rope bridge. To Link's right was another door which turned out to lead to the north end of the field of spikes. "So Vitreous can have a quick way across without needing to get the key… but not me. Smart." Returning to the wooden bridge, he forced himself to walk across it and sighed in relief when it did not collapse under his weight. The stairs on the other side led down.

"The basement." Link check the map he had received from the Rag. "There's not much down here… and I've been through all the rooms on the upper floors. Which means I'm almost to Vitreous." Unfortunately, the basement turned out to have no light at all; navigating by his lantern allowed Link to stay alive, but it was still difficult. Spiked traps, fireball launchers and more Wizrobes all caused him pain. To make things worse, there were several cases where a button had to be constantly held down or a door would slam shut. Fortunately, the Cane of Somaria turned out to be ideal for THAT little trick. Regardless, it was an exhausted and irritated Hero of Time who finally entered another room that was lit, the last one before Vitreous. "I hate this place… eh?" Something had dropped from the ceiling; it was a blob of slime. With eyes. Blinking, it wriggled towards him, leaving a smoking trail of melted stone behind it. "Acidic? Oh no you don't…" Link sliced it in half, then frowned. "Wait, he dropped from… the… ceiling…" He slowly looked up. Hundreds of the slimes were clinging to the ceiling, looking down at him. And then, as one, they dropped. "OH, COME ON!" Whipping out the Ether Medallion, he froze them all right before they hit him, and they shattered into shards on the floor. "I REALLY hate this place. There goes the last of my magic… good thing I have a green potion." Drinking it, he frowned. "Better take my red too… that still leaves me with two blues for Eyeboy." Doing so, he walked forward.

"About time you got here, hero." Vitreous growled as Link entered. The side of the room he entered by was solid stone, but towards the back green slime covered the floor deeper and deeper, forming a sloping pit filled with the familiar disembodied eyeballs… almost a hundred of them. Link's own eyes narrowed; unlike the acid from the room before, the stuff covering Vitreous' mass looked thick and durable. Doubtless it would be protective against magic at the least.

_There goes just blowing them all away with Bombos,_ he thought. "Vitreous. Last of the Eyes of Ganon. I've been unkind to you, even moreso than the others… taking both your sister and your brother from you…" He grinned angrily. "Why, if you weren't a total scumbag, I might almost feel bad about it."

"How nice of you." Vitreous remarked dryly. "Instead, you plan on sending me to join them. Tempting as that proposition is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to turn it down. Here's a better idea; YOU go and convey my regards to them."

"We seem to have come to terms." Link noted, then pulled out his bow and arrow and began firing. The projectiles shot into the slime and lodged there motionless, the eyes untouched. "Hmph…" He tried the Ice Rod, and it was repelled completely. _Looks like I was right… damn._

"Are you quite done?" Vitreous sounded amused. "My turn, then…" An eye rose from the goo and dived at Link, who easily chopped it in half.

"That all you've got?"

"I'm just getting started, lad!" The mass of eyes assured him, five of them coming out, then ten more. They swarmed Link, and he slashed at them, but not fast enough to stop them from slamming him head… well… eye-on. Snarling, Link beat them back with his blade, then screamed as pain shot through his entire body. Through a gap in the eyes, a beam of magic had speared straight into him… a beam emitted from the pupil of a gargantuan eye, ten times as large as the others, that had come halfway out of the slime to fire and was now diving back in again. "What do you think of THAT, hero?"

"So that's what your core is… we all wondered if you had one." Link grinned, unconcerned. "Kill that, and I win, then."

"Easier said than done!" Vitreous laughed, releasing twice as many eyes into the air. Link waited until they were close, then used the Bombos Medallion. Vitreous screamed as the eyes all dropped, flaming wrecks, and Link laughed… until another magic blast hit him.

_Damn… this is taking too long. If he keeps nailing me with that move, I'm done for…_ Link thought wildly. _I need some way to get rid of all those eyes, and fast. But he's still keeping most of them in the sludge… how can I hit them there? Maybe…_ Taking out the Cane of Somaria, he created several blocks. _Not sure if this will work, but if I test it, he'll catch on… have to hope I was right about that one time I goofed up on the switch that needed to be held down!_ Picking up all but one of the blocks, he threw them into the slime, ignoring the slam attacks from the eyes.

"NOW what are you doing?" Vitreous wondered. "Trying to crush me with those things? Ha! Fat chance!" The eyes in the slime easily shifted around the blocks as gravity pulled them down. Link smiled grimly.

_Here goes nothing!_ He brought the Cane down sharply on the remaining block… and simultaneously, ALL the blocks exploded into magic blasts that tore into the eyes of Vitreous surrounding them. Howling, Vitreous pulled his remaining eyes back; a pitifully small number remained.

"You… damn you…"

"So, what now?" Link inquired, drinking a blue potion. "Seems to me that you've got no choice but to bring the real you out to fight… if you try to just blast me, I'll snipe you back with arrows."

"FINE!" Vitreous screamed. "I'll pound you to a pulp!" The giant eyeball flew out and lunged at him. From that point on, the fight was brutally one-sided. When Vitreous tried to smash him, Link would beat him back with the Master Sword; when Vitreous tried to blast him, Link would fire arrows into his pupil. Finally, the core of Vitreous fell to the ground covered in his own blood, and the few eyes remaining in the slime pool exploded violently.

"You're finished, Vitreous." Link stated the obvious, and his enemy groaned.

"I knew… I would be. Knew after… Kholdstare lost… I would have no chance."

"So then why'd you do it?" Link inquired. "Why'd you insist on fighting me if you knew you'd die?"

"Because… Ganon commanded it." Vitreous explained. "And despite everything… he remains… my master."

"Not anymore." Link disagreed, raising the Master Sword. "Your only master now is death, Vitreous… and soon, he'll have mastery of Ganon as well."

"Wait…" Vitreous croaked first. "The mirror… let me see it. You showed it to my family… and friends… before you killed them, right? That's what surviving minions reported… let me see it too. I don't care what it does to me… I just want to see Hyrule one last time before I die…" Link regarded the dying Eye of Ganon with pity, then pulled the Magic Mirror out and held it in front of the pupil… and Vitreous screamed. "GAAAAH! Didn't know it would hurt so much! Now! Please! Finish it, Link!" The Master Sword descended one last time, and he was still, and Link turned away.

"I said it again…" He muttered. "I said I would kill Ganon again. Why do I keep saying that? Agahnim sure… but Ganon… I wouldn't stand a chance. Would I?" He raised his eyes to the ceiling and saw the crystal come down, and enlarge, revealing a teenaged girl in a tunic just like his. "I've rescued all the others, so you must be…"

"Jean." The girl nodded sadly. "Daughter of Agahnim. Link, my father never wanted this… his curiosity and his pride got the better of him, but he never would have intended this to happen."

"I know that… he was a good man, from what I've heard." Link nodded. "But now…"

"Now, he's gone… and a monster inhabits his body." Jean nodded somberly. "I know more than anybody… ever since I saw the man I thought was my father strike me down, and I awakened in this hell as a prisoner of Vitreous. I talked with the other girls through their crystals as they arrived… and discovered what had happened, what they thought my father had done. What Ganon had done. Drawing us to the Dark World, sealing us in these crystals, and giving us to the Eyes… with the seal damaged so much, his victory seemed assured. I'll admit, I despaired…" She smiled. "But Ganon never thought you would get this far… all his Eyes are dead now, thanks to you. And we are saved, but for Princess Zelda… and now she lies within your reach as well."

"She's not at Ganon's Tower any more?" Link's heart leaped.

"The time she could remain there without the reaction between the Tower and her crystal ran out… and Ganon did not succeed in taking the Triforce of Wisdom from her." Jean informed him. "She's at Turtle Rock now… your friends in this world should know where that is."

"Turtle Rock." Link nodded. "Got it."

"Good. Link… thank you again. I have only one more request for you…" Jean closed her eyes. "If it is possible… I would like you to kill my father. It is the only way to free him from Ganon's foul possession now."

"I…" Link thought back to his words to Kholdstare and Vitreous. "I'll… try to think of a way. I can't promise anything… but I'll try."

"Thank you." Jean shrank her crystal, and floated down to him. Link nodded.

"Right… now let's get out of this stinking swamp."

"Wonder how the Rag are doing…" Link muttered as he walked towards the shooting gallery. "Hope Bugoff made it… back… okay…" His voice trailed off as he saw, lying on the ground in front of the Gallery, a huge pile of Blind heads and Vitreous eyes, cheerfully ablaze. "That's… fairly noticeable. What the heck."

"Hey, it's just our way of celebrating, is all." Neosquid informed him, walking out from the other side of the ostentatious bonfire with Handy. "These are all prizes we took from those two mugs over all the years… had 'em taxidermized and everything. But as soon as Bugoff came back to us-that's another one we owe you, by the way-we knew there'd be no point in 'em any more. The Eyes of Ganon are dead."

"So it seems." Link nodded, glancing at Handy, who held a bottle and three mugs. "More of that stuff? Don't you two ever get enough?"

"Nope!" Handy answered cheerfully. "We only had it one night for entertainment anyways. The rest was therapeutic, although I'll admit malpractice may be in order. Anyways, if this isn't an occasion for it, what is?"

"Hmm… maybe after I rescue Zelda. She's still under enemy control, you know." Link shrugged. "But what the hell, we can have a few."

"That's the spirit!" Neosquid poured the drinks and handed them out. "Yeah… that princess is the only one left. Zelda, wasn't it? Like the one in the legend?"

"Yeah…" Link glanced at them. "I forgot, you two were in here long before her time, so you wouldn't have known of her, right?"

"Yeah…" Handy took a drink. "A long time. To be precise… four hundred and fifty years." Link whistled.

"Seriously? So it's not just the bad guys who don't age and die…"

"Nope… another effect of this place. Nobody gets any older than they were when they came… Bomb Boy's been six for eight years now." Neosquid glanced at the bonfire. "We knew those three idiots for a while, you know… Arrghus, Kholdstare and Vitreous, before they fell in with the wrong crowd. Right at first, they were just victims like us… lived up on Spectacle Rock together, and they all fell in the first portal when it opened. We all hung together for a while… then Ganon made them an offer they couldn't refuse, and that was that. For the first century or so, we all just tried to stay out of each others' way… but then we all started changing."

"Changing?" Link raised an eyebrow.

"It's this place… the Dark World." Handy shrugged. "You stay here too long, and one way or another… you'll go crazy. Arrghus became depressed and caught in the past, and Vitreous became paranoid… both to the point where they saw us as enemies. And Kholdstare… no explanation needed there. We figure Blind was already crazy even before he came here… maybe Mothula too. And then there's us." Handy nodded his fingertips.

"You've probably noticed that we're not exactly models of mental stability ourselves. That's one reason we started the Rag; quite literally, we couldn't just stand there and do nothing any more. And that's also one of the reasons we weren't exactly keen to return to Hyrule, by the way… you told us about that Mirror, and to be honest, we're not sure. I mean, where exactly does it draw the line? Like I said, we're kinda nutso too… and we haven't exactly stuck to a strict moral code in sticking it to anybody who serves Ganon. What if the Mirror decided it didn't like us either, even if you do?"

"So I see…" Link murmured. "You said that was one reason… what are the others?"

"…Heh." Neosquid chuckled after a moment. "Don't miss a beat, do you… well, when we first formed the Rag, we kinda made a promise to all of the other guys. Basically, we said that if by some fluke we ever did discover a way out, we vowed not to leave without them… without everybody. And…" He glanced at Handy, who took up the line.

"There was something else. Long before then. Don't laugh, but… well… when it was just the two of us. We, well… promised the same thing, that we'd never leave… without each other. There, you've dragged it out of us. Stupid, isn't it?"

"Not really." Link disagreed. "At least now it makes sense… why you two refused leaving so strongly, even when your lives were in danger. I suppose now I should tell you about me…"

"We were wondering when you'd get to that." Neosquid's eyes narrowed. "But we've got some guesses already. You're not just some ordinary sword-slinger who got lucky, are you? You're not even just a descendant. You're back to finish what you started, aren't you, Hero of Time?"

"…" Link looked north, at Death Mountain. "Yeah, I suppose I am. You have no idea how big a surprise that was to ME… most of my life, I had no idea. Then right before I got zapped here, it all came back to me. And the Princess too… I don't know if she remembers that much, but she's the same as well. And so is Ganon, of course…"

"Then… after you save her, you're not going to just get out of here, are you?" Handy guessed shrewdly. "Saving all the girls isn't enough any more… you're taking a stab at the big man himself."

"…Yeah." Link repeated, remembering his fights with Vitreous and Kholdstare… and Agahnim… once more. "Agahnim's body needs to be freed. I need to kill it… and I need to fight Ganon one more time. Even if it's only a defeat and not a kill, like last time. That's just the way I am… call it destiny or some crap if you believe in that, Idunno. But don't worry… I won't drag you guys into it. If you can point me towards Turtle Rock… that's where Zelda is… I'll send you back to Hyrule right-" He grunted as his two friends jumped up and simultaneously whacked him on the head.

"Didn't you listen to us at all?" Neosquid growled. "We TOLD you, back when we first brought you to RAG HQ, that we weren't leaving until the fight was done. So all the Eyes of Ganon are dead. That's great, and it's more than we ever hoped for by ourselves. But the big man himself is still kicking. At first, taking out the Eyes was the best we thought we could do, even with your help… but if you think you have a serious chance of beating the Forger, even if it's only temporary like you said… then we're in. Period. End of story."

"Big man's still not exactly on his own, you know." Handy reminded him. "He's still got lots of troops left, and some real nasties among them… like the Lionels and the Wizrobe Order. Plus, Turtle Rock's practically on his doorstep… it's on the eastern edge of Death Mountain, and his Tower's on the western edge. So when you go in there, we'll come up too and set up shop in the front hall… hold the door so reinforcements can't get in to hit your back. And then when the time comes, we'll all go knocking on Ganon's door together."

"You guys… thanks." Link smiled. There wasn't really much more that he could say, and so he fell silent, and the three of them watched the fire burn until there was nothing left but ash.


	14. Chapter 13: The Best Defense

**_Chapter 13: The Best Defense_**

"The final portal…" Link muttered to himself, uncovering the pile of rocks on top of Death Mountain's eastern peak. Due to the geographical oddity of the mountain's longitudinal stretching, there were actually two peaks, with a small dip between them. The Tower of Hera was on the west peak, but on the east there was only an elevated plateau… at least, in Hyrule. Stepping through the portal in the center of it, Link found himself standing atop the entrance to the underground fortress known as Turtle Rock. Boulders had been affixed to the plateau here and carved to resemble claws and a tail sticking out from a turtle's shell; and facing south, looking over Hyrule below, a massive head with boarlike tusks filled a square entryway. Crowding around the head, Link saw all the members of the Rag waiting for him.

"Told you we'd make it up here fine, hero." Neosquid hailed him. "With Vitreous gone, they never even came close to spotting us. And we made ourselves a way past Ganon's attempts to isolate Death Mountain from the rest of Hyrule a long time ago."

"How'd you do that?" Link wondered. "I thought you said he collapsed practically all the caverns and tunnels that weren't part of Turtle Rock?"

"Two words." Handy held up a pair of fingers. "Tunneling, and explosive."

"It's always explosions with you guys." Link shook his head. "I don't know if even you could blow this turtle's head out of the way, though."

"Well, I don't know…" Neosquid glanced at Bomb Boy. "We might have something… but that's only if you don't have a better idea."

"I think I do." Link stood close to the front. "You guys might want to step away from the head… and the edge. Definitely away from the edge." The Rag complied, and the Hero of Time held up the last Medallion… Quake. "I'm coming, princess. I couldn't stop him from taking you… but I promised to bring you back. Now, the time has come to fulfill that promise… and NOTHING is going to stand in my way!" Below his feet, the earth moved… rocking and rattling as streaks of purple energy flew out from him and snaked across the ground. The turtle's head trembled, and then with a crash teetered out of its socket, rolling forward to hurl off of Death Mountain out into the void. After about a minute, the earthquake subsided, and Link hopped down in front of the now-open Turtle Rock. Slowly, the Rag approached.

"I told you! I told you who he really was, but you didn't believe me! What now, huh?" Neosquid was crowing at several other members, who were looking at Link with awe. "Phew, you don't mess around, hero! Only problem is there's no way in, well, HERE that they didn't notice THAT. Let's get in, fast!" They ran into the plateau's inside, a massive dome cavern. Turtle Rock itself was only the entrance; the actual dungeon stretched out inside Death Mountain's caverns and tunnels.

"Right, boss, go and save the girl… and watch out for that thing Mothula made!" Handy instructed him. "We've got the entrance covered!" The Rag, all business now, were opening up packs they had brought with them and taking out various weapons and defensive equipment.

"Remember, if the big bad himself shows up, DON'T fight him." Link cautioned. "Collapse the entrance and come find me and Zelda… we're the only ones who even have a chance of winning against him."

"Tell us something we don't know… oh yeah!" Neosquid joked, then reached into his own pack. "We found this while coming up… catch, hero!" He threw something spinning through the air, and Link caught it with one hand; a blue wooden staff, identical to the Cane of Somaria.

"The Cane of Byrna… I wondered where this went!" Link grinned. "Thanks, guys… that's another one I owe you! Good luck!" Turning, he walked down the stairs into the mountain fortress. "And here things come full circle… if this place is as big and goes as far down as the Rag have told me, it probably incorporates not only the Fire Temple but the Shadow Temple counterparts." He emerged on a ledge over a massive, fifty-foot void of floor. There were several ledges around the walls, and connecting them, a series of hovering rails with a flat platform resting on them for him to board. Cautiously, Link did so and discovered that they moved in the direction his will indicated. Looking around, he saw that the room was not hazard-free, however; several floating skulls slowly bore down on him. Shrugging, Link nailed them with arrows and watched as they silently fell into the darkness. "Now then, which door to choose…"

"_Link…"_ Zelda's voice spoke in his mind. "_You're here… it's the door directly opposite the one you entered by. All the others are traps… be careful, Link…"_

"_I'm coming."_ Link thought back. "_Just hold on a little longer… this time, I won't fail. I'm coming for you, Zelda."_ Entering the door she had indicated, he found a strange room beyond; a pair of blocks with a door beyond them, and two black iron spheres tied to the blocks by lengths of chain. A treasure chest was between the blocks. "What is this supposed to be…?" At the sound of his voice, a pair of angry red eyes opened in each sphere… and then below the eyes, a maw like a bear trap. "Oh, this can't be good." Barking, the Chain Chomps lunged at Link, only to be brought up short by the chains tying them to the stone blocks. Still yelping, they continued to strain and try to reach him. "Phew, close one… but this is no good. I'll need to get through them to go on, and I'll need whatever's in the chest too. If they're supposed to be like watchdogs, then they can probably smell me, so the Cloak's no good… methinks it's about time to see what this other Cane does." Whirling the Cane of Byrna, he smiled as it emitted a sphere of white light encasing him. "Very nice… if this is what I think it is, then this'll work just fine." He cautiously approached the Chain Chomps, and his smile grew into a grin as he saw them gnaw futilely on the sphere, unable to penetrate. "As I thought… a force field. Probably drains magic continually like the cloak, but it's perfect here." He strolled casually past the Chain Chomps, ignoring them completely, and opened the chest. Inside was a golden key. "Excellent." Twirling it, the hero continued down the stairs inside the doorway and disengaged the Cane. On the next floor down, he found himself facing five circular pipes large enough to fit him, which was obviously what was intended. "Which one now… Zelda? You know this?"

"_It's the second one from the left."_ Zelda informed him.

"_What would I do without you?"_ Link smiled as he walked down the pipe. "_So, how do you know this? Clairvoyance or something?"_

"_Well, I could have some fun and say yes…"_ Zelda teased, then gave in. "_Actually, I was brought through here the same way you have to go, and I remember what the soldiers did. Speaking of which, there'll be two of them waiting when you come out of that pipe, so watch out."_

"_Got it."_ Link held his sword ready as he stepped out and glared at the two monstrosities waiting for him. They were vaguely centipede-like, but only vaguely; a horizontal stack of spheres covered in sharp-looking orange bristles. The top ones had eyes and ramlike horns, but no mouths. Glaring at Link, they began hopping around erratically. When he swung at one, it only knocked that sphere out; the upper portions fell seamlessly down to connect, and the loose sphere bounced around at high speed before finally expiring. Growling, Link went for the head of the other one; it bounced off like the body sphere, and this time it stuck him in the chest, knocking him flat on his back. When Link looked at the foe again, he saw that it had not died and that the next sphere down had sprouted horns and eyes. "I SO don't have time for this… playtime's over, kiddies!" Bellowing, he leaped into the air in a massive, two-handed overhead swing, smashing the head of one beast down into the next part, and penetrating it to strike that part into the next, and on until every part of it flew apart in a burst of gore and half-spheres. The same move worked on the other, and Link was free to move down to the next floor. Ahead of him was an opening that led outside, to a mountainside ledge. Link started to walk forward, then paused. "_This looks too easy."_

"_Very good."_ Zelda congratulated him. "_You're right. Don't walk out of the stairwell, but look above the opposite wall._" Link did, and saw it immediately; several eyes were carved into the wall. The same eyes that were on Agahnim's and Blind's robes, and on Mothula's wings. And they were watching him. "_They fire lasers if you step out into the room."_ Link frowned.

"_THAT ain't good. And they're stone, so I can't arrow them… magic?"_

"_No, it's actually quite simple."_ Zelda assured him. "_They only see you if you see them."_ Link thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

"_I turn around and walk out backwards. Sneaky."_ He did so, and no lasers came; he emerged on the ledge outside of Death Mountain harmlessly. It stretched east, where another cavern awaited him. "_I was wondering… how come you can talk to me telepathically even before I find you? The other six couldn't…"_

"_I AM the Sage of Time, you know."_ Zelda reminded him. "_I don't exactly make an issue of it, but…"_

"_But you're stronger than they are. Got it."_ Link nodded.

"_Yes… although all seven of us have grown stronger recently."_ The princess informed him. "_We've used our time inside these crystals in meditation, and in thinking of new ways to use our powers… when we emerge from these crystals, we'll make Ganon's forces regret ever knowing us."_ Link slowly smiled.

"_You don't want to just bail out after this job either, huh?"_

"_After what he's done… what he could do in the future… no way."_ Zelda confirmed. "_Even if the seal is re-strengthened, we can't leave him in control of Agahnim's body. He may very well be able to cross back over in a less powerful body combined with what use he has of the Triforce of Power. We can't risk it. And besides… I want to see him scream."_

"_So do I… hm."_ Link paused, looking up. "_Hold it… got to check something out."_ There was another ledge, six feet above him, with a cavern mouth trimmed in wood. The hookshot sunk into the timber and pulled Link up. Inside the cave was one thing only; a large treasure chest that his key opened, revealing a shield whose back and sides were some unknown metal, and front surface a polished silver, reflecting like a mirror. Link knew it. "The Mirror Shield… my Mirror Shield. This should come in handy." He looked at his uncle's shield once, then placed it in his pack and held the old, familiar one in its place. He turned and hopped down to the lower ledge; the door back into Turtle Rock was locked tight, but the same key opened it. The next room inside had a door blocked with an iron shutter, and two gargoyles with protruding tongues like the ones in the Ice Palace. "_Let me guess. One's a trap?"_

"_Yup. Pull the left one."_ Zelda confirmed. Link did so and the door opened. Two more of the sphere-stack guards waited in the next room, and Link dispatched them as he had the ones before.

"Sheesh, what's next? Evil mushrooms? More pipes with carnivorous plants hiding in them? Some sort of turtle-thing? Oh wait, I've already had those…" The next massive room was completely dark; using his lantern, Link saw another network of rails with one of the platforms. "_Okay, what's the game here?"_

"_Much more complicated. You have to navigate this following a certain path, and if you don't get it exactly right there's spiked chains whirling around the wrong rails to knock you off. Lucky for you, I memorized the path."_ Link nodded and followed her instructions to reach the other side safely. Yet another pair of the sphere-stack guards confronted Link, and yet again he slew them, then headed down another floor to a long bridge over a chasm. Unlike the ones before, however, this one did not collapse, but held more of the laser-firing wall eyes on both sides of him as he crossed. "_These ones fire as soon as you cross their sight no matter where you're looking… the guards had to really scramble to get past."_

"_Fortunately, I've found something better."_ Link held the Mirror Shield up to each as he passed, and the rebounding lasers destroyed each eye in turn. The stairs on the other side led yet further down to one more huge pit. This time, the rail ride was simple, taking him from one side of the room to another, past lines of torches on both sides. The door on the other side was locked, and above it three skulls hung. Snake skulls. "Haven't seen that motif since Arrghus. All right, princess. Looks like I'm here."

"_Just be cautious… the guardian was the one thing they didn't let me see. I have no idea what it is."_ Zelda warned him. "_But… I know you can do it, Link. I'll see you again soon… I know it… after all this time…"_

"_Yeah… in just a few minutes."_ Link agreed, throwing the door open. "I don't care WHAT this thing is… it's going DOWN!" The room was square, and empty; but in the wall opposite him were a pair of double doors, much larger than the one he had entered by; the wall WAS the doors. They filled it all. Link stood, glaring at them, as a shutter slammed behind him and they slowly creaked open… and then, against his will, his eyes widened and he stepped back… as something else stepped forward. One step… then two… then three and four and more, on four squat legs like stone pillars. Legs that came out of the bottom of a massive boulder, hemispherical and huge. And from the front of the boulder, a head of stone emerged as well. Not a turtle's head, but a snake's head, green and brown, on a long and narrow neck that was still wider than Link's body. The head saw him, and it hissed… and Link smiled. "Ha… I should have known. Some sort of turtle thing after… all… what in hell…" His eyes widened yet again as, from two more holes in the stony shell… holes near its top, on either side of the head… MORE heads snaked out. Two more serpent heads and necks, one a fiery red and yellow, the other as blue and white as the Ice Palace. The third head looked at them in turn, and then all three reared up and screamed defiance at Link. And now, looking closely, he saw around the center neck… a ludicrous little red collar, with a nametag that he could barely read. _TRINEXX._

"They really outdid themselves with this one… whoa!" Link brought the Mirror Shield up just in time to block as the head on the left breathed a stream of frigid air, cold enough to turn him into an ice cube instantly. Fortunately, the Mirror Shield held it off, but there was no time to relax; right away, the head on the right attacked with the opposite element. The fireblast was held back by the Mirror Shield as well, and Link smiled. "Looks like I've still-" He cut off with a yell of pain as the central head shot forward, slamming into him directly. Even the Mirror Shield could not stop this, and the Hero of Time was sent flying like a rag doll, bouncing off the wall behind him and landing limply on the ground. Groaning, he stood back up and hastily brought the Mirror Shield up again to protect himself from the next icy attack. _This is no good… once, this shield could absorb the elements and reflect them back. Now, though, it's weakened just like everything else. And I can't let this fight drag out… even with my blue tunic, that hit from the earth head hurt far too much. Time for me to go on the offensive!_ As soon as the ice head's assault cut off, Link charged forward, holding the shield on his left to guard against the fire head's impending attack. Reaching the head, he jumped and swung the Master Sword with deadly force, straight at the ice head's neck… and he stared as the sword scraped off, drawing sparks but doing no actual damage.

"No way… not even the Master Sword can get through? Tom did say even he couldn't bring ALL its power back, but-hey!" He stared at the blade; where it had touched the foe, a thin film of ice covered its surface. "It's that cold… not solid ice like Kholdstare, but maybe if I heat it up first-AGH!" Again the stone center head slammed him away. "Man, I'm losing a lot of blood here… I've got to get moving!" This time he headed straight for the fire head, holding the Mirror Shield to his right against the ice head's assault as he pulled out the Ice Rod. "Haven't used this in a while… here goes nothing!" The blast of blue magic struck the serpent square under the jaw, and it hissed in fury as, in a cloud of steam, the vibrant scales dulled to a dim orange. "That looks like a yes to me!" Link swung the Master Sword at the neck, and it penetrated. Pulling it out, he drove it into the wound again and again, then halted as the scales resumed their former hue. "Looks like it's just temporary… oh man." Before he could bring up the Mirror Shield, the fire head acted, covering him in flames. Bellowing, Link rolled around on the ground, attempting to put the flames out and succeeding. "Phew-aw no." As soon as he had saved himself from one attack, another struck him full force, and again the earth head sent him flying. Shaking his head to clear away the stars, Link downed a blue potion. "Right, that's IT." Dashing at the ice head, Link staved off its attack with the Mirror Shield and struck it with the Fire Rod. It screamed as the other had, its scales turning gray and powerless, and like the other the Master Sword cut into it. Hacking at it with one hand, Link held back the fire head's assault with the other.

"Right, now rocky moves again… let's see if I can dodge this time…" Link turned to face the earth head as the ice head's scales healed, but no attack came. Too late, he realized what was happening, and turned to receive the frigid assault full on. Encased in ice, he could only watch as the center head shot at him. _They're mixing up their attacks now… not good! As long as the pattern stayed, I knew where to block, but if this keeps up…_ Rising, he blocked the fire head, then the ice, and then the fire again. _I've got some hits in, but not enough… and I still don't know how I'll bring down the center one… damn it! How am I supposed to outlast THIS? The Eyes were one thing, but this is insane! Maybe an ARMY could bring this thing down, but…_

"_You ARE an army, Link… or should I say, you're as powerful as one."_ Zelda's voice filled his thoughts. "_Remember who you are… WHAT you are. Remember what you've done… who you've beaten. You've beaten GANON, Link… is this Trinexx worse than HIM?"_

"…_No."_ Link shook his head. "_You're right. I won't lose… I CAN'T lose. Ganon thinks he can stop me with this… but he's wrong. As he's always been. He may be the Forger of Power, but I'm the Juror of Courage. I'm the HERO OF TIME… and this thing, this heap of cobbled together scrap parts… this is NOTHING!"_ He realized that Trinexx had not moved at all while he was speaking with Zelda; her magic? But now it was active once more, and the center head struck. Link was ready; even as it approached, he ran towards it as well, building up momentum with the Pegasus Boots and then jumping ONTO the nose and running up the head, and down the length of neck. Reaching the base of the neck, where it emerged from the turtle shell, Link slammed the Master Sword's blade into that narrow crevice. Trinexx snarled, but before it could stop him, Link slammed something else down as well. The Quake Medallion, against the pommel of the Master Sword. The earth-shaking magic blasted down, using the evil-slaying blade as a channel, straight into the point where the earth head joined the body. Trinexx's entire form began shaking wildly, but Link did not stop there; yanking the blade free, he catapulted himself onto the shell and climbed up. The fire head struck, but Link held it back and repeated his previous motion, slamming the sword into the hole in the shell. This time, he struck with the Ether Medallion, and this time, the result was plainly visible. He could see the eruption of frozen air inside the shell, as it blasted outward, tearing the fire head out entirely and flinging it way, useless and dead. The final, blue head didn't flinch, striking mindlessly, but again Link blocked and shoved the Master Sword into its base, bringing out the final Medallion. The explosions of Bombos removed the icy serpent as it had its brother, and Link was thrown off as the shell's rumbling became even more violent. The central head had vanished, and Link saw the stumpy legs splay out helplessly as the half-sphere boulder began breaking apart, shattered by the explosions within. Finally, it blew out in a million pebbles, and Link relaxed at last.

"Phew… man, that was a pain." He drank another blue potion. "Zelda… I did it." But no crystal came down, and Link frowned. "What's going… no. No way… don't tell me-" His horrified gaze shot back to the ruins of the shell, too late, as with an enraged howl the final, central head burst forward. No longer attached to its body, all that remained of Trinexx was a snake of boulders, long and winding. Link was slammed up against the wall and nearly flattened; only by forcing against it with the Master Sword and Mirror Shield both was he able to avoid death. Snarling, the snake veered off only to rush at him again. "Oh, COME ON! What's it TAKE, huh?" He examined the serpent's length, looking for a weakness, and after a moment he found it. One of the boulder segments, in the middle of the body, was a different color; a pale, dead-looking tan. "Bingo… was that where it was bound to the shell or something? Whatever… it's where I need to hit!" Again Trinexx slammed into him, and again he forced it back. "Wait a second… it's a snake now, so it has-" He grunted as the enemy's tail whipped around, slamming into his side and flinging him away. It may have been whiplike, but it was still made of stone, and it hurt as much as earlier hits from the head had. Forcing himself up, Link watched as the serpent flew at him once more. "It's now or never… I just hope it's stupid enough that this will work again!" As before, when the head came at him Link jumped, and as before he successfully landed on it. Running down its length, he reached the weak point, but ahead of him he saw the tail reaching up to sweep him off. Behind him as well, he heard the snake's head twisting around and up to strike… but in spite of this, Link smiled fearlessly. "Far, far too slow… a turtle 'til the end." With both hands, he drove the Master Sword into the center of the weak boulder like it had been buried in the pedestal of the Lost Woods, and slapped the Quake Medallion onto the pommel. The entire body shook, shivered and quaked, and both head and tail froze… and then the entire length of the serpent exploded, blasting itself apart and flinging its fragments over the entire room. Standing, Link drank a third blue potion and looked around. All three heads of Trinexx were dead and lifeless… and now, finally, the last blue crystal descended from the ceiling and enlarged, revealing the Princess of Hyrule… the Sage of Time.

"Link… you did it." Zelda smiled at him, and Link slowly nodded.

"My only regret is that I couldn't have stopped this from happening in the first place. Back in Hyrule… I failed you, Zelda. I'm sorry."

"You did all you could." She disagreed. "Back then, Agahnim's… no, Ganon's power… was much more than either of us knew. When you did realize his true capabilities, you defeated him… and you came after me. All this way… first to the Dark World itself, and then up to this nightmarish dungeon." She winked. "Use your head, Link… do you really think I'd be angry at you after all that?" Despite himself, Link chuckled.

"Well… I suppose not. I'm just glad you're safe, princess… I was afraid Ganondorf planned the worst."

"He certainly tried." Zelda snorted. "But he hasn't changed since my ancestor dealt with him… he fumbled it in the clutch, and in the end he couldn't take my Triforce piece. And in that borrowed body, he can't fully access his own, either. We can beat him, Link." Link frowned and nodded, thinking about her words.

'_My ancestor…' so she doesn't remember yet. That could be a problem… but no matter._ Aloud, he spoke again. "Yeah… we can. I assume he's in that ostentatious tower of his?"

"He should be… waiting for the barrier to weaken enough that he can pass through it." The princess smirked. "Of course, without the seven of us, the barrier will stop deteriorating and begin to heal to the state it was a month ago. So I suppose now… he's just waiting for the confrontation. He feels the need for it just as strongly as we do, you know."

"Figures." Link shook his head. "Well, we'll certainly give him one. We need to kill Agahnim's body, and not just because it's the decent thing to do. Combine his Triforce powers, weakened as they are, along with his comparatively much weaker body, and he might slip through some loophole. And if he returns to Hyrule… he could start something that makes this mess look like a walk in the park." His eyes narrowed. "Which is why we have to beat him down, here and now."

"Between the two of us, we'll find him wherever he runs." Zelda agreed. "And not just us… the other girls, once they're freed from their crystals, will want to help as well. And you have friends here too, yes?"

'The Rag… yeah. I can't wait to introduce you to those guys… they're a riot." Link grinned briefly, then let it drop. "I'm just… glad to see you again, Zelda. Let's finish this… then return to Hyrule. Together."

"Indeed… and then we can put this behind us, like a bad dream." Zelda agreed quietly. "And look towards the future." Together, they turned and headed out of Turtle Rock, the way they had come. As they approached the entrance, however, Link saw the Rag in a state of uproar.

"All right, hell with it!" Neosquid was screaming. "Light the Armageddon Apple NOW!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold it!" Link yelled as well, rushing into the room along with Zelda and looking around wildly. Propped up against a barricade over the entrance was a metal apple six feet tall and wide, with a long white fuse dangling from between the leaves. Despite the decoration, it was obviously a bomb of titanic proportions. "What the heck is going on here?"

"Just like you said, hero!" Handy explained. "You told us what to do if the big man himself showed… and he did! We saw him walking this way a minute ago!" Link's eyes narrowed, as did Zelda's.

"Is that so…" The princess snarled. "We'll handle this. Can we get this thing down?"

"Uh… sure." Neosquid blinked, realizing her presence for the first time. "Come on, you lazy blokes, do what the princess says!" Shoving the Apple out of the way, the Rag tore the barricade down to reveal a hundred monsters in front of Turtle Rock. Transformed Knights of Hyrule and Wizrobes comprised the bulk of their forces, but there were others… Hinoxes and Snapdragons, and even stranger creatures, such as centaur-like beasts with shocks of white hair and twisted, fanged faces. But none of them attacked… all were kneeling before the one who stood in the center of their forces. The Wizard Agahnim.

"Oh, this doesn't look too familiar." Zelda growled, raising her forearm. The monsters and the Rag gasped in unison and took a step back as the mark of the Triforce appeared on her forearm. Standing next to her, Link followed suit, and a moment later Agahnim shrugged and echoed their action.

"So you destroyed Trinexx…" Agahnim shook his head. "A shame. I had expected better of Mothula's greatest creation."

"You shouldn't have… not with us." Link's eyes flashed. "You should have known it would come down to us three… just like last time. We're all here again." Zelda frowned in confusion for a moment at that, but her eyes remained on the foe. "Which leaves the question… do we throw down here and now, or later? I don't really care either way… it would be faster if we did it now." He smiled. "But if you've still got that annoying, infuriating addiction to high drama… we could always storm your tower and bring that down around your ears before finishing you off. Whichever you prefer… we're ready. Make the call." Agahnim nodded, then slowly stepped back, and his armies closed around him.

"Well, if you put it that way… why don't we all take a break and recover our strength? I'll assemble my forces, and you assemble yours… and we'll see who comes ahead in the end, hm?"

"Fine by us." Zelda nodded coolly. "We'll see you inside your tower, then… and this time it's for keeps. Be ready." Turning away, the forces of the Forger departed, walking west towards the Tower. Once they had gone, Zelda and Link turned around to see the Rag bowing.

"My lady." Handy greeted her formally. "Me and Neosquid knew an ancestor of yours well."

"You don't say. I'll bet there's an interesting story behind that." Zelda looked them over. "Rise, all of you… if what I suspect is true, you've helped Link here loyally and admirably in his mission here."

"I couldn't have done it without them." Link confirmed. "Now let's get off this mountain, shall we guys? We've got some battle plans to make."

"So that's the gist of it." Link finished telling his story to all his friends, sitting or floating around him in Kakariko Village's bar. "In two days, me, Zelda and the girls return to the Dark World and finish this."

"So, you'll be laying seige to Ganon's Tower." Sahasrala rubbed his chin. "I assume you have specific plans for that?"

"Yeah." Link nodded. "We start things off at the base of the mountain, the way Ganon will expect… he'll send his forces out to meet us. When they're all engaged with the Rag, me and the girls will kill a few flunkies then drop back and poof over here. Fly up to Turtle Rock again, go through the portal, then charge Ganon's Tower from the east instead of the south, hopefully bypassing the bulk of his forces. Once the barrier and the crystals are shattered, me and Zelda go inside while the other girls turn around and hit the army from behind. It'll be a sandwich… between them on one side and the Rag on the other, the bad guys won't stand a chance. And while that's going on… me and Zelda take care of business."

"I think we can add to our chances a little, hm." Morris smiled. "We've talked it over, and the four of us are coming too. We're not just going to let our daughters go into a war without coming along to help."

"Tom says the transformation's unpleasant, but bearable… and that our magic will work just as well over there as it does here." Aginah explained. "So we should do just fine. Add four more soldiers to your roster, you two."

"Man, I wish I could come along…" Bronze Roger shook his head. "But this is all WAY out of my league. Kicking Agahnim out of the Castle is one thing, but over in the Dark World? Me and my boys would be dead weight. Sorry, kid… I think I'd better sit this one out."

"Actually, I was going to ask you for something else, Rog." Link smiled. "While we're all concentrating on that, there's a fair chance that the bad guys will play dirty and try to sneak some of their boys on through as a contingency plan. Can you and your fellas watch the portals in case of that and deal with any that try?" Roger grinned and nodded.

"THAT, we can do all too well. We've got it covered. Only one that'll be a problem is the Lake Hylia island… the Zoras won't like us intruding. But we'll manage."

"Actually, I spoke with King Zora recently." Tom grunted. "Seems he had a bit of a dream visitation from an old, departed friend… the same one you encountered in the Ice Palace, Link. He and his people have the Lake Hylia portal covered, as well as a couple others that are actually underwater around Hyrule."

"Awesome." Link nodded. "Well then, we all know what we're doing… unless somebody else has something to add, meeting adjourned." Everybody stood and walked out, one by one, until only Link and Zelda were left in the bar.

"It's almost finished." The princess glanced in a mirror behind the counter. "Only a few more days until we can put this behind us… until I can escape from this crystal cage." Link placed a hand against it; the crystal was cold and hard.

"What's it like?"

"It's so… lifeless." Zelda murmured. "I can barely move… and the movements I can make are like I'm in water. It's a nightmare, Link… a nightmare I had, and when it came true…" She shuddered. Link winced, remembering when her original incarnation had been captured by Ganondorf, sealed in pink crystal and carried off to his first Tower, long ago.

"Yeah… I remember you telling me about those nightmares." He shook his head. "When I saw Sara like that, and realized that you were the same… I'm so sorry, Zelda."

"I told you already, I don't blame you for anything." Zelda reminded him. "I don't know why I was so afraid of this happening, but like I said… it'll be over soon, and it'll never bother me again. And everything else, too… we can put Ganon, and the Dark World, and all of it behind us, and focus on Hyrule… on rebuilding." Something that had been nagging at Link's mind finally snapped into place.

"That's right… it hadn't really clicked, but you're not really the Princess any more… you're the Queen of Hyrule now."

"It's an honor I had planned to forego for a number of years yet…" Zelda sighed. "But there's nothing we can do about it now except cope. When we're finished with Ganon, I'll take the crown and the throne… and lead Hyrule as my father did." She turned to look at Link. "But I won't be able to do it alone. I'll need to reestablish the Knights of Hyrule… their order is too sacred to let fall because of one incident. And in order to make that happen, to draw in recruits… the order will need a Commander. Somebody who I trust… somebody who can be relied on. Link… will you help me? With Hyrule… and with everything else?"

"I will." Link promised. "As my uncle served your father… and perhaps even more. With Hyrule… and with anything else you need. I'll be there." They both smiled, and for a moment they started to move towards each other… and with a grunt, Link smacked his face against the crystal casing. Despite the surge of disappointment she felt, Zelda couldn't help but giggle. Link rubbed his nose and smiled as well. "Heh… soon enough, I suppose."

"Soon." Zelda agreed, and the two of them stood and left the bar as well, to rest for the coming struggle.

"Zektal." Agahnim greeted his servant, not bothering to turn from the glass wall he stood before, looking out over all of the Dark World… identical to the one at the top of Hyrule Castle Tower, though the rest of his fortress was completely different, and much more massive. "How go the preparations?"

"All is ready, my lord." Zektal bowed. "It was difficult, but we managed to find the creatures… and to recreate the others."

"I knew your order could handle it… that's why I keep you around." Agahnim congratulated him. "Place the six in the basement… the cold box, I think. The three will go on the third floor… pick a room, I don't care where, and modify it for them. As for the other animal, put it on the fifth floor, in the grand hall." Zeral nodded.

"As you command. And… the second King Helmasaur?"

"That one is yours… deploy it during the siege." Agahnim instructed. "As well as the… reflections… I have instructed your order in creating." Zektal grimaced.

"Milord, while we shall of course do all we can… our power is nothing compared to yours. Even acting on concert, we shall at best be able to summon forth two of these… reflections, as you put it."

"Then summon two." Agahnim shrugged. "I'm not asking the impossible, Zeral… just do all that you can. In particular, be wary of Handy and Neosquid… you are the strongest of my men now, so they will likely attempt to bring you down themselves." In the shadows beneath his broad-brimmed hat, Zektal's lip curled contemptuously.

"It will be my pleasure to finally expiate those two rejects from your kingdom, lord. They were helpless before my mistress, and the other Eyes… I will destroy them without fail."

"Do so." Agahnim agreed. "You may leave me now, Zektal." Bowing, the Wizrobe left, and the Forger of Power sighed. "Fool… compared to my Eyes, he is nothing. What was that Koume and Kotake always said about it being so hard to find good help these days…" He shook his head. "But without my friends, he will have to do…" He blinked. "Friends? When did I… hm… perhaps I've been in this mortal body for too long. Ah well… it won't be forever. Be it a day long off, or very shortly indeed… be it in death, or in freedom… I will regain myself." His hands pressed against the glass, splashed by falling rain on the other side, and the light of a lightning bolt striking the Pyramid of Power reflected in his eyes. "We shall see which way fate turns… but I am confident. Even if they destroy this body, I have survived worse before… and their plan has one tragic, fatal flaw in that case. Even if I lose… I shall win. And Hyrule will be MINE once more." He began laughing, long and deep and dark… not in the voice of Agahnim, but in the voice of his true self. Of Ganondorf… of the Forger… of Ganon. Zektal, descending the tower's stairs, heard the laughter and shuddered.

"Truly, I have bound myself to a demon… and yet…" He remembered the look in the eyes of the Hero and the Sage of Time when they had emerged from Turtle Rock, the first time he had seen them himself. In their eyes, he had seen the same thing that was in his master's every time they met… it had faded when they had departed, but for those few terrible moments when they had conversed… Link's and Zelda's eyes had held the same awesome, terrifying might that lurked inside the Forger of Power. Thanking the Goddesses that he would not likely have to face them directly, Zektal continued down the stairs, wincing at another peal of laughter.

In a house in the south of Hyrule, lying sleeplessly awake… inside Hyrule Castle, gazing upon an empty throne… and at the top of a tower of darkness, watching a world of blight… three ancient, powerful souls prepared to move together once more.


	15. Chapter 14: Full Circle

**_Chapter 14: Full Circle_**

"All right, then… looks like we're all ready." Link looked over the small army gathered around him, in a blown-out tunnel leading to a point halfway up Death Mountain. Four old magicians, six girls in crystals, nine transformed rebels… and Zelda. "Thank you… all of you… for helping us out here. I think normally a speech is given at this point, but I can't really think of anything that hasn't already been said… so let's go light 'em up!" Cheering, the heroes raised their arms (or in Handy's case, a finger) and stormed out of the tunnel's exit. Before them, Ganon's remaining forces were arranged; the centaur-like Lionels were in the lead, with the Knights of Hyrule in the center and the Wizrobes in the back, and scattered other monsters here and there throughout the army. All told, they looked to number several hundred.

"Looks like fun." Neosquid smirked, drawing a multitude of daggers. "Boss, if you'd care to do the honors?" Nodding, Link drew the Master Sword and pointed it at the enemy forces.

"CHARGE!"

"KILL THEM ALL!" An answering voice came from one of the Wizrobes. "For the glory of Master Ganon!" Rushing forward, Link decapitated a Lionel in one swift movement, hurdled the corpse and clove another in two. Yelling like a pack of banshees, the Rag spread out around him to hold the charging monsters back from the elders, who began bombarding the enemy with long-range magical fire. Zelda and the other girls hung back for the moment, falling out of sight, and after killing a few more Lionels Link did the same, joining the Rag and moving among them to kill a surprised opponent, then jumping to another spot.

"Good job, ki… this way it'll take them a few minutes to catch on when you head off!" Kiki removed a pair of eyeball bats from the sky with some well-aimed shuriken. "Just don't take too long, kikiki!"

"Our simian friend is right." Aginah agreed, creating a wave of sand that buried a Knight of Hyrule alive with the wave of a paw. The other elders had, of course, all been transformed once they had crossed over to the Dark World, but they had borne it without a word and continued casting their spells with just as much power as they had shown when storming Hyrule Castle. Repeating the spell, the jackal-headed elder glanced at Link. "Isn't it about time you got going?"

"Right." Link nodded, slaying one last Knight and leaping back. "Good luck, guys… we're counting on you."

"We've got it… this is what we've been working towards for twenty years, even if we never made any real progress until you came along!" Handy flung a cluster of tiny bombs into the enemy forces and lit more with the flick of a finger. "Just make sure you get the big man!"

"Count on it." Re-entering the cavern, Link pulled out the Magic Mirror and began showing it to girls, one by one. When they had all returned to Hyrule, he glanced into its depths himself and was gone.

"Wonder how long it'll be until they notice?" Neosquid glanced at his partner while driving a knife into a Hinox's eye. "Who'd be in charge here with all the Eyes gone?"

"That'd either be Pardok, the Lionel commander… or Zektal, the Wizrobe leader." Handy replied after a moment of thought. "Hope that it's Pardok… he's fairly dull, but Zektal was Mothula's second, and you know what that implies." Higher up the mountain, near the Tower of Ganon, Zektal glared down at them.

"The brat hasn't been seen in some time…" He nodded, and raised his voice. "RELEASE IT! NOW!" Further down, a pair of doors that had been camouflaged to resemble the mountainside swung open, and a pair of blazing green eyes glowed from the darkness. A moment later, the beast emerged, and all of the heroes' eyes turned to it.

"Shit! Another King Helmasaur?" Neosquid yelled. "We gotta-"

"Stay on the main force, boss! We got this!" Bugoff yelled. Along with him, the other six members of the Rag began carving a line through enemy forces to reach the monster; at the same time, the King Helmasaur was plowing through its own allies without a care to reach its prey. The enemy armies quickly got the hint and moved out of the way.

"I told you all how to beat this thing, right, ki?" Kiki yelled. "We gotta take the mask off first, then hit the emerald!"

"Yeah… let's party! Whoa, look out!" Bugoff yelled, diving away along with the others as the spiked tail lashed out. "Come on, Birdbrain, let's take to the skies and distract 'im!" Grabbing Bomb Boy, he launched himself upward.

"Yeah, yeah…" Grumbling, the avian rebel followed suit, and the two them began firing razor-edged feathers and slingshot pellets at the eyes of the beast. Growling, the King Helmasaur belched fire upwards, without much effect. "Haw… not too smart, is it? Show it what real firepower is, kid!"

"R… right!" Bomb Boy pulled several green spheres from a pouch around his waist and lobbed them down at the mask. The explosions knocked a couple holes out of it, but the rest remained undamaged. "Aw, man… knew I should have used a stronger formula!"

"Bah, it's fine!" Ramses assured him, charging. The King Helmasaur saw him too late; before it could hit him, he struck its mask in the most damaged area with a mighty head butt. Crumbling, the mask fell apart.

"My turn now, ki!" Kiki hurled shuriken into the exposed gemstone, and the enraged Helmasaur King turned its fires upon the land bound Rag members.

"Not good enough, big boy! And here's the finishing touch!" Brutus delivered a smashing kick to Ballio, whose surface now had huge iron spikes glued on. "GOAL!" The spherical Rag member slammed into the emerald with massive force, and the wailing King Helmasaur went down.

"Have you guys been holding back?" Neosquid demanded as they began attacking the stunned enemy soldiers around them. "We were never THIS good before!"

"It's the kid, ki… we never had a chance before!" Kiki explained. "But now we do… and we know it, kikiki! These bums are going down!"

"It certainly seems so, if that was the strongest thing they had, mm…" Morris agreed, creating a hand of shadows that broke a Lionel's neck. "But one thing worries me… this Wizrobe commander seems a crafty fellow. Would this be the only thing he had up his sleeve?"

"No… no it wouldn't." Handy glared up at the Wizrobes. "This isn't over yet." And then, beyond even them… the massive, glowing energy field around Ganon's Tower flickered and vanished in a flash of white light. "YES! They're in, and we've got reinforcements! We may just have this in hand after all!" The back ranks of the Wizrobe order spun and began fending off an assault of magic from six soaring, humanoid figures in dresses that had hit their rear, but Zektal and twenty others began moving forward, towards the center of the Forger's armies.

"Now what are they up to…" Tom muttered as the twenty-one Wizrobes formed a circle and began chanting. Above them, in the air, a pair of forms began to appear… at first, they were shimmering green, but then they halted with a barked order from Zektal.

"No, wait!" The commander of the Wizrobes grinned. "I have… a better idea." He whispered something to the other sorcerers, who nodded. They began chanting again, and the images in the air changed… becoming a pair of monstrosities known to all of the Rag.

"Mothula… and Blind?" Bugoff murmured. "But the kid said he killed them…"

"He did… look, they're kinda transparent." Ballio noticed. "They're just some kind of reflection… fakes. But they're still bad news… Zektal wouldn't waste time with mere illusions, so even if they're not the real deal, they might still be able to fight like them!"

"You serious? Man, what we gonna do then?" Brutus cursed. "These shmucks are one thing, but those two… we never even came close to a win against them! We can't-" He broke off, stunned, as two short figures walked forward fearlessly. Neosquid and Handy.

"Guys… leave this to us."

"Good… looks like these were the only ones. We were right." Link glanced at the corpses of the three Lionels that had attempted to bar their path from Turtle Rock's portal to Ganon's Tower. "All the others are occupied with the fight. Let's get going before they figure something out."

"I'll say they are." Jean's eyes widened as she looked at the battlefield. "What the heck is THAT thing?"

"Another King Helmasaur!" Sara recognized it. "Where did they get THAT? We have to hurry!"

"Don't count those guys out just yet." Link smiled as they walked in front of the tower. "They know what they're doing. Right, here's the tower." It was a massive, cylindrical spire, rounded perfectly on the sides and flat on top. The outer surface was decorated with huge pillars and gargoyles resembling the heads of boars; one pillar in particular, on the lowest level at the front of the Tower, seemed to be the anchor point for the shining energy field that draped the structure. There was no visible way in. "All right, girls… ready?"

"More than." Zelda confirmed, leading the seven crystals as they flew into the air. "To shed these crystal prisons… and to strike back against the one who did this to us… we were ready a long time ago. Let this shield he raises as an attempt at protection be destroyed here and now!" Together, they forced their crystals against the barrier, and for a moment there was no effect; and then, without a single sound, the entire energy field burst outward in a million broken fragments of pure white light. At the exact same moment, the seven blue crystals dissolved into glittering dust, and the girls inside fell to the ground, landing easily. Six of them shimmered and then transformed into various forms, but Zelda did not.

"Sage of Time, remember?" She smiled at Link before he could ask. "I'm slowing the transformation effect. If I stay here too long, it'll get me eventually… but this isn't going to take that long, is it?" She grinned viciously, and Link did so as well.

"Not at all." The central pillar that had been the force field's focus shuddered and then split open down the middle, revealing a staircase in its center that led up into the tower. "Right. We're going in."

"And we're joining the fight." Wendy raised her hands and formed a long, icicle-like blade from a bubble of water that appeared over her head. "Get in there and deal with the big man… we'll help finish up down there." The others nodded as they formed similar weapons.

"Good luck… let's go, princess!" Turning, the Hero and Sage of Time ran up the stairs together as their companions flew down to join the battle below. The front hall of Ganon's Tower was well-lit, polished gray stone. Straight down the center, a red carpet led to the other side, flanked by statues of a familiar form, clutching a model Triforce. Ganon's form, as Link had last seen the true Forger, thousands of years ago when his power had transformed him into a titanic monster.

"Something about those seems familiar…" Zelda shook her head. "Is that what the Forger truly looks like?"

"It is now." Link nodded. "But we've got more important problems… look at that." The door at the end of the red carpet path was locked, chained and barred with a ludicrous amount of protection, all of it connected to a massive keyhole in the center, glowing faintly with magic. "I'm guessing we won't be able to break that down, no matter what we do… which means we need to hunt for the key down below." He indicated two more doors flanking it, with stairways leading down into a basement. "He's still playing games."

"Let him… he has little enough time remaining as it is." Zelda shrugged and walked towards the left door.

"Fair enough." The Hero of Time followed her down. Blood-red Stalfos charged them, and Link ripped them apart. "Looks like he kept some guards here after all… only pikers so far, though."

"So far. Let's enjoy it while it lasts." Zelda decomposed one into bone dust with her right hand.

"Always the cynic, aren't we?" Link muttered as they walked into a room filled with chasms. "All right, I can use my hookshot here… you need a ride, or can you fly like the old guys?"

"I can manage… and rulers have to be cynical. At least when not in public. The job sucks." Zelda levitated across to another door, one of several. "Should we just pick one?"

"Why not… it's not like we have a map. Or if we'd be able to trust one we'd find down here anyways, at this point." Link shrugged and walked in. Immediately, the lower portion of the wall ahead detached and launched itself forward at him; the spikes covering it were overkill. "Gah! Wrong way!"

"Easy, boy… I've got you." Grabbing his hand, Zelda pulled him up into the air, and the trap slammed into the back wall below them. "What's that thing back there?" It was an orange portal, similar to the ones that linked the worlds.

"I've seen this before… it's a short-range teleporter." Link remembered them from the Palace of Darkness. "Should lead somewhere else in this building. Let's try it." They stepped on it, and after a moment of transition, found themselves facing a wave of fire.

"I'm open to suggestions this time." Zelda admitted nervously as it roared down on them. Link smiled.

"No problem… I've got just the thing." The icy force of the Ether Medallion gusted forward and doused the flames entirely, leaving the way clear. The next room was a massive pit with no features aside from a ledge on each side.

"Looks like I'm flying us both over." Zelda noted.

"No, hold on… there's something here. Maybe…" Link frowned, staring at a firepit set on the opposite ledge. Drawing the Fire Rod, he lit it, and smiled as the increased light in the room reflected off of a path of transparent glass. "Bingo." Crossing easily, he entered the next room, and immediately noticed that it had no floor. "Crap!" Zelda grabbed his arm as he fell, and they slowly descended into a room that was completely frozen. Ice covered every surface, and the room was piled with slabs of meat and other food items.

"Some kind of storage freezer… but what are those?" Zelda pointed at six humanoid statues. Eight feet wide, wearing armor resembling that of the Knights of Hyrule. In their left hands, shields bearing the emblem of the Triforce. In their right hands, swords pointing upwards in an eternal salute. And on their heads, horned helmets with visible eyeholes… eyeholes that glowed red as the statues began rumbling. Link's own eyes narrowed.

"So Ganon knows this spell too, huh… figures. I'll handle this."

"No… save your strength for the big guy." Zelda disagreed. "A physical fight with these things isn't necessary." The Armos Knights began hopping around, but the Princess remained in the air above them, glaring down. "These are but enchanted stone… the originals stood the test of time, but these were made in haste, by one with far less skill. This stone is ordinary… let it wear away." The air around them began to shimmer strangely, and the Armos Knights paused… and then, all six together, they crumbled into dust and fell apart. Lying in the remains of one of them was a golden key. "And there's what we're looking for."

"You've been practicing, I see." Link whistled, pocketing the key.

"I had a lot of time to think." Zelda shrugged. "Let's head back up."

"One problem." Link shook his head. "The teleporter's one-way. We'll have to find another path back. Let's try that stairway over there instead of returning to the put room." Taking said stairs back up led them to a room with another teleporter. "Hm… hold on. This wall looks like it was blocked up recently…" Lighting a bomb, he placed it near the largest crack in the patch job, blowing it open.

"This looks like Ganon's treasure room…" Zelda realized as they entered. Huge masses of Rupees in all colors filled it from wall to wall, clinking and shifting slightly as they were walked on. In the center of the room was massive chest.

"Let's see if this works…" Link tried the key. It did. Inside was a red tunic with a purple cap. "Huh… another clothes change. My Goron Tunic." He shrugged. "Why not… and it'll probably provide even more defense than the Zora's." Unlike in the Ice Palace, a double-layer would have been uncomfortable, so he removed the Zora Tunic before wearing his new acquisition. As he did, he noticed Princess Zelda watching him with a small smile on her face. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." She shrugged. "Let's go."

"Whatever." Placing the new cap on his head, Link followed her back to the teleporter. It took them to the room below the staircase on the right in the front hall. Once they returned there, the large key opened the door as they had guessed, and all the chains and bars fell away instantly, revealing the stairs upward. "Finally, we can go up. Still, Ganon probably won't make it any easier from this point on."

"Does it matter?" Zelda raised an eyebrow. The Hero chuckled.

"Not really. Up we go!"

Below the Tower, on the battlefield halfway up Death Mountain, the bulk of the enemy forces had backed away, clearing the area to allow the two reflections of Blind and Mothula clear room. Only the twenty-one Wizrobes who summoned them remained in place, concentrating to keep them stable.

"Zektal… so you're the big shot here." Neosquid greeted the enemy leader coldly. "Just what are you trying to pull?"

"A technique taught by milord Ganon, whelp." Zektal sneered. "A reflection, he called it… summoning up a magical duplicate. He told us to copy his current form, but this is so much better." The Wizrobe leader grinned savagely. "So these two fools can have their last stand… with them and the others gone, I shall stand by milord Ganon's side now. I am his Eye… and they are failures. It's only fitting that their forms serve me now!"

"Dumbass… you're nowhere near them." Handy snorted. "We'd beat the crap out of you ourselves here and now, but it looks like we have to deal with these sad shades of yours instead."

"Ha… you? YOU, beat THEM?" Zektal laughed. "You tell ME I'm way below them? For twenty years, your pitiful rebellion accomplished nothing… every time you fought the Eyes, you could only run! And now you want to meet them in combat? This should be amusing to watch!"

"It's like Kiki said… before now, we never had a chance. We knew it. There was no real hope. But now…" Neosquid glared at the Wizrobe leader. "The kid. He's up there right now, kicking your big bad boss's butt. He's going to win… and before we can leave this nightmare behind, we need to win against OUR enemies too. Even if they're just images… we can't lose any more. This time… we'll beat them." Zektal's grin vanished.

"You become annoying… time for you to shut up and die, methinks! Obliterate them, my servants!" Obediently, the reflections of Blind and Mothula charged, taking to the air in the latter's case. Glancing at each other, Neosquid and Handy separated and faced down their opponents separately.

"We'll just see about that… time to settle this dispute once and for all!" Charging, Neosquid launched himself towards Blind like a spinning top, flipping himself upside down to balance on his pointed body. All eight tentacles flung out, each clutching a dagger, and he slammed into the grinning demon's chest with a noise like a buzz saw. Roaring, Blind breathed a gout of fire downward, and Neosquid sprung back, burning. Unconcerned, he rebounded off a cliff face and lunged again, this time going for the neck. Daggers flashed, and the head flew off. "One down!"

"Ha… you forget so easily?" Zektal laughed, then frowned as Neosquid landed on the neck stump for a moment before jumping after the flying head.

"I meant one head, not one bad guy, idiot!" Before it could spring to life again, the head sank with daggers stuck all over it. Neosquid grunted, pulling them out. "How you doing, partner?"

"Could be better… only one way to do this, and it's gotta be just right!" Handy yelled, scrambling frantically across the ground and dodging Mothula's strafing runs. The flying demon was silent, but her three-way shots of energy rings were as deadly as ever, carving deep trenches in the ground. With her flying abilities, it seemed there was nothing Handy could do to fight back. "You just concentrate on yours… I'll bring her down as soon as the moment's right!"

"Got it-ARGH!" Neosquid had taken a moment too long in retrieving his weapons; sprouting a new head, Blind had hit him with a laser eyebeam. Tumbling for a moment, the angry squid righted himself. "Damn, that hurts… just as much as the real thing." He grinned. "Excellent! I wouldn't feel right if this boy wasn't just as bad as the real deal! Hope he's watching, wherever the hell he is, so he can see me finally kick his ass!" Turning away, he began climbing the cliff wall behind him, using his daggers to dig into the cliff.

"You can't run, idiot!" Zektal called mockingly as the reflection of Blind charged the cliff face and spewed fire up.

"Heh… who's running?" Backflipping over the flames, Neosquid landed on Blind's back, directly behind the head. As it swiveled around to grin at him, he removed it again, but this time he didn't chase it; instead, he jumped into the air and, forming all his tentacles and knives into a spear-point, plunged down into the neck hole. The severed head rose and lunged at him, breathing fire into its own body. The entire form became covered in flames, but no new head emerged; there was only Neosquid, grimly stabbing downward further and further, seeking vital organs. Everybody's eyes stared at the burning wreckage, even those of the Wizrobe order and the reflection of Mothula.

"Bingo." Handy grunted, lighting a bomb and dropping it on the ground, then grabbing a large, flat rock and placing it atop it, then scrambling aboard. "This is the craziest thing I've ever done, but hey, whatever works!" The bomb exploded, and although the rock was mostly destroyed, one chunk larger than the others was propelled straight upwards, with Handy clinging to it grimly. It soared even higher than Mothula, and the white-gloved maniac pushed off, flying back over his enemy. Scores of bombs tumbled out of the wrist-hole, and Handy flipped around, bringing his flint-tipped index finger to each and every fuse. Both he and the bombs slammed into the reflection of Mothula's back, and the flying shade of the Eye of Ganon was covered in explosions. Silent as always, the blasted wreckage fell instantly, spiraling down and colliding with the flaming remains of Blind, and as both shades collapsed, the twenty Wizrobes controlling them screamed and fell to the ground, convulsing. For a few moments, there was nothing visible but smoke… and then Neosquid and Handy pulled themselves up and stumbled forward, charred and crispy, but still alive.

"There… we beat 'em." Neosquid muttered. "Now we can… leave… with our heads held high."

"Guys… old farts… gals… it's up to you now." Handy continued. "Bring 'em down… we're out." The pair of them tumbled forward, unconscious.

"I never would have believed it… they won…" Zektal groaned. Around him, the twenty Wizrobes that had helped him summon the reflections were no longer moving; only the master of the order stood upright. "And yet… futile. You who remain can barely manage to keep yourselves alive… protecting the fallen is quite beyond your capabilities. They will die."

"Not if I can help it, filth…" An old man's voice disagreed. Transformed with the head of an owl, yet still wearing his sage's robes proudly, Sahasrala walked forward. "You're the head of your order, then… the Wizrobes. Let's see what your magic can do against mine." Zektal strode forward.

"Very well… those two surprised me, but you're past your prime, old man! I'll be happy to put you down!" Bringing his hands up, he fired a crescent-shaped beam of energy that Sahasrala easily avoided. Several more followed, and the owl-headed elder avoided them as well.

"My turn…" Muttering, Sahasrala's eyes blazed, then emitted a blinding flash that caused all, including Zektal to cover their eyes.

"Damn it, you had to use THAT one!" Morris growled, holding mole's claws in front of his face. "What-oh!" When the light had vanished, Sahasrala was behind his enemy.

"You're through."

"I think not." Zektal raised his hands again, but now the energy beam fired from his back, flying to the rear and striking Sahasrala in the chest. Grunting, the old man fell, and Zektal turned to advance on him. "What did I tell you? This is your first time to this world, isn't it? You may have been impressive in Hyrule, but here… in this hell… you're nothing!"

"Don't be so quick to judge, youngster…" Sahasrala's hand shot out, and a whiplike beam of light extended, blazing. "I'm not buried yet!" The whip snaked around Zektal's right leg, and with a hiss, severed it easily. Howling, the Wizrobe master leaped back, remaining upright, and formed a new leg of shadows. Next was a weapon of his own; a trident of darkness that pinned the elder's whip to the ground. Forming another with his free hand, Zektal hurled it at the prone Sahasrala.

"Die!"

"I think not." Sahasrala glared up, and his eyes blazed once more; freezing in the air, the trident before him dissolved into nothingness. Zektal took a step back, then ran forward in a seemingly suicidal charge. Growling, Sahasrala put up his hands to block, but instead of attacking, the master of the Wizrobe order leaped into the air, hurdling him.

"Enough of this! I'm not needed here anyways… these rabble are enough to finish you!" The other enemy soldiers began muttering angrily, but Zektal took no notice. "Enjoy your slaughter, fools… I return to my lord Ganon-" He froze suddenly, motionless. "What-I can't move! Who…"

"Who do you think, Zektal?" A voice called down from the tower's top, far above. "Running away? I told you to command this fight… and you seem to have seen fit to disobey me. I'm disappointed."

"Milord…" Zektal croaked. "I only thought…"

"Thought you knew better… and that wasn't the only such thought you had." Agahnim boomed. "I told you to summon reflections of me, of my current form… and yet, you saw fit to do different. To desecrate your superiors who fell in the line of duty to me… who stood their ground and fought until the end. Unlike you, Zektal. Who told you that you had any right to use their forms? Or to try and run after doing so?"

"Please, milord… forgive me…" The head of the Wizrobe order strained to free himself and failed. "I still have… to serve you. The device to free your soul… I can still make it. You need me…"

"Need? NEED? I need NO ONE, Zektal." Agahnim bellowed. "You least of all. That was your flaw, Zektal… you presumed that just because I fell back on you when my Eyes had left me, that you were equal to… better than… they were. Wrongly. The graveyards of wars are filled to the brim with men who made the mistake of considering themselves indispensable. Give them my regards, Zektal." A massive spear of lightning, easily twice as massive as any the Wizard had ever summoned in Hyrule, blasted down from the tower-top and impaled Zektal, current blasting through his entire body. All that remained to hit the ground was a skeleton in robes and a hat.

"Does he plan to do that to us now?" Sahasrala wondered, but no further lightning strikes came from the tower.

"Doesn't seem like it… looks like he's saving himself for the two he knows are coming." Tom grunted. "Which just leaves us the chore of cleaning up here." The remaining soldiers of Ganon stared at Zektal's corpse, then at the savagely grinning heroes before them, then at the corpse again. And then, as one, they charged with desperation in their eyes.

"Hey, what the heck? Did you hear that?" Link glared upwards as Zelda reduced the last of the three Lanmolas that had been placed in the room halfway up the tower to a skeleton.

"Yeah… sounded like a blast of Agahnim's lightning magic." The Princess nodded. "If he's sniping them, they won't have a chance." They waited in silence, but heard no more strikes. "Huh… looks like it was a one-time thing."

"Hope so… let's move anyways!" Link ran up the stairs to the tower's fourth floor, and Zelda followed. Three Wizrobes confronted them, heads bowed. "Out of our way!"

"Never…" The sorcerers hissed, raising their heads to reveal fleshless skulls. "You killed us, Hero of Time… we will take our revenge!" Together, they raised their hands and fired a wave of magic that stretched from wall to wall.

"Sorry… I'll have to pass on that one." Firing his hookshot into the frame of the door behind them, Link pulled himself over the blast and the sorcerers both, releasing it as soon as he was behind them and smashing all three with a whirling blade strike, scattering their bones across the floor. One by one, he smashed the skulls, rendering them lifeless once more.

"I know the trick of animating a skeleton, but that's a new one on me…" Zelda admitted. "Dead Wizrobes still being able to use their magic. Oops, Knights of Hyrule…" A pair of bull-headed soldiers were patrolling a narrow bridge. Link charged immediately and swept them off the sides before they could attack.

"No problem at all… not any more. Next!" The next room had four more undead Wizrobes, and after that was another bridge with four Knights. Both proved ineffective. "Does he actually think these will stop us, or is he just trying to waste time?"

"It's probably that weakness towards high drama of his you taunted him on at Turtle Rock." Zelda guessed. "Don't know how you knew about that in the first place, but it seems true-whoa, hit the deck!" The final room of the floor faced them with a solid line of laser-firing wall eyes. Zelda dived down, but Link calmly stepped in front of her and blocked them with the Mirror Shield. Dusting herself off, Zelda stood back up. "Show-off."

"Whatever works is cool." Link shrugged, indicating the next set of stairs. Walking up, they entered a long, wide hall even larger than the one at the entrance of the room. Here, however, all the statues had been smashed to rubble, and even the walls were battered. "After the Armos Knights and Lanmolas, it's not hard to guess what the big guy's put in here… I assume you'll want to bring it down too?"

"My pleasure." Zelda cracked her knuckles as a fully-grown Moldorm raged out from behind a thick stone pillar and charged them. Holding one hand out, palm-first, she slowed its charge to a crawl, then casually walked around behind it and grabbed the end of its tail with her other hand. Link stared as she levitated the entire monster into the air and began spinning it around until it was nothing but a olive-colored blur before releasing it, sending it flying into and THROUGH the outer wall, out of the tower and over the sky of the Dark World.

"Feeling spectacular, are we?" The Hero commented, looking down through the hole. "Ah, good… looks like they've got the battle pretty much in hand. Handy and Neosquid look like they've been through the wringer, though… wonder what happened."

"I can sense that they're still alive, at least." Zelda smiled. "They'll be fine. Let's go hold up our end."

"Right." Walking up the stairs at the far end of the grand hall, they entered the top floor of the Tower. Side by side, Link and Zelda walked down one last hallway, ignoring numerous doors on both walls. At the end was one last locked door, with the symbol of the Eyes of Ganon hanging over it. Unlocking it with the key, Link kicked it open. "All right, Ganon… we're here."

"Took you long enough…" Agahnim turned away from a hole in the shattered glass wall in the back of the room. "I was starting to get bored, waiting up here… although what you did with the Moldorm was a nice touch. The battle below stopped being interesting about ten minutes back."

"That was when you threw something in, right?" Zelda growled.

"Oh, you heard that?" Agahnim chuckled, spreading his hands. "Yes, indeed. Just taking out some trash… mine, not yours, don't worry. Your brave little warriors seem to have won the day down there."

"Then that just leaves the three of us." Link smiled as well. "And this time there's nowhere for you to run to."

"My, aren't we confident…" Agahnim's smile widened. "Idiots. You're in MY world now… I have ruled over this prison for thousands of years. Credit where due, I never expected that you would get this far. Killing all of my Eyes… but then, I suppose that's my own fault for not remembering the last time you came against me. Time after time I underestimated you… first when I originally claimed the Triforce, and then when you began reclaiming Hyrule… and then when we came together in my original fortress…"

"Enough nonsense." Zelda cut him off. "I don't know what you're rambling about, and I don't care. What I know is that here and now, we're bringing you down."

"Oh ho…" Agahnim chuckled. "So, you don't remember… and you haven't sought to remind her, Link? How foolish of you… do you really think she'll stand a chance in this fight without remembering her full potential?" Link remained silent, nodding at Zelda, whose eyes began glowing as she hurled a sphere of glowing energy at one wall. Where it struck, the stone dissolved, smoking, into dust.

"My strength has increased greatly since we last fought, Forger. I've got more than enough to bring you down." Link raised the Master Sword.

"What she said. We're not here to chatter… we're here to finish you. So what say we get to that, hm?" The wizard shrugged.

"Heh… as you wish." Agahnim raised his hands, revealing a sphere of darkness clutched in each. "But don't think you're the only ones who have put this time to good use in preparation…" The shadows in his hands flew out and landed next to him, then expanded, forming duplicates of him… partially transparent, wavering images. "That sort of evens things out, doesn't it? Let's see how you do when it's three against two!" All three wizards threw spheres of magical energy.

"All too easy." Link swung the Master Sword at two of them, reflecting them back, while Zelda caught the third in her hand and easily dissipated it. The energy blast which struck the illusionary Agahnim on the left passed through him without effect, but that which hit the true Agahnim caused him to grunt in pain. "You've still got that fatal, fundamental weakness… your own power turns against you. And as long as it does, you can't win. There's no way at all."

"My, aren't we quick to judge?" The three Agahnims melted into the shadows, and sprang up in different corners of the room. "What now?"

"Please." Link stood in the center of the room, and Zelda in the unoccupied corner. All three wizards fired at the Hero of Time, and he calmly used the whirling blade strike, knocking all the magic away. As soon as one of the three foes registered the hit, Zelda launched her own attack; a spear of white light, piercing his shoulder and then dissolving. Unconcerned, Agahnim and his doubles shifted positions again, forming in a triangle. This time, two of them aimed at Zelda while the third fired a cluster of smaller blue spheres at Link. Shrugging, the Hero of Time held the Mirror Shield up and blocked the attack while Zelda destroyed the energy blasts from the other two. They weren't harmed, but neither was Agahnim.

"Ha ha… why don't we try that one again?" Agahnim chuckled, preparing to repeat the attack. "You know, I'm actually glad you two came this far… it puts a sense of closure on the entire affair, you know? How many times is it now that all three of us have come together to do battle… four?"

"Your arithmetic seems to be as bad as your aim." Zelda taunted him. "It's two, not four."

"Really?" Agahnim's eyes twinkled. "I seem to remember a meeting at the top of another tower, where a place called Hyrule Castle once stood… and a meeting soon after, in the ruins of said tower, where you sealed me away." The princess flinched. "I swore a vow of vengeance against the two of you for that… and now it's come time for me to fulfill that vow!" He and his duplicates fired in the same pattern as before, but this time Link and Zelda were prepared; the princess levitated herself into the air, while the Hero ran south, remaining across from Agahnim. When the three attacks met at the center of the room, Link struck them all. The cluster of blue spheres shattered in his face, but the two energy blasts were both sent into the real Agahnim's chest, and as a follow-up, Zelda hit his other shoulder with another lance of light. Steadying himself, the wizard's eyes began glowing.

"That's it… enough fun." Link barely had enough time to bring the Master Sword up in order to defend against a massive lightning strike, much more powerful than those he had unleashed in Hyrule… and much longer-lasting. The electric bolts continued streaming towards Link, and it was all he could do to hold them off; he could not stop the attack.

"Hold on, Link!" Zelda yelled, forming another energy spear. "I'll get him-AAAH!" The Princess screamed as lighting bolts from the two duplicates both slammed into her back.

"ZELDA!" Link roared, trying to turn and failing. The Master Sword was locked into place by the attack it was deflecting, holding him along with it.

"Ha ha ha!" Agahnim laughed. "What good is it being strong enough to defeat me if you can't protect the people you care about, Hero of Time? You can't cover for her forever… you… know…" His gloating trailed off as Zelda stood back up.

"For once in your miserable existence, you're right… fortunately, he doesn't NEED to any more." Her eyes were glowing now, as was the mark of the Triforce on the back of her hand. "When I had to flee from your attack on the castle, when you trapped me in that crystal cage, when you defeated me outside the Temple of Time and brought me here… three times. NO MORE." She hurled an energy spear through Agahnim's left leg, and as he screamed, the lighting attack dissolved and Link fell, free. Advancing on him, she impaled his other leg as well. "Gerudo King… twice now, you've killed my father and attempted to conquer my country. Twice now, you've failed… you've fallen. You've LOST, Ganondorf Dragmire."

"Heh… so, finally you remember it all… it's almost complete now." Agahnim shakily stood up. "But you're mistaken if you think this fight is anywhere near over." Zelda smiled coldly.

"Am I?" She snapped her fingers, and Agahnim grunted as all four energy lances she had struck him with reappeared, piercing the places they had struck. He froze, motionless. Another snap of her fingers, and his two duplicates were similarly transfixed. "Against both the Hero, and the Sage of Time… you think you stand a chance in that borrowed body? Wrong… fatally so. Link?"

"Yeah." Link walked forward towards the helpless wizard. "So, what shall it be? The Master Sword probably won't work on you… so we'll have to kill you with something else. Arrows, maybe? Bombs? Hookshot through the skull? How about some of my own magic? Maybe the good old Megaton Hammer? Or should I employ my secret weapon… something I picked up from my house before the attack?" Agahnim stared as, from his pack, Link pulled out another sword… smaller and plainer than the Master Sword, but still well-crafted. "My uncle's blade… unlike the Master Sword, it has no qualms against harming the descendant of a Sage. Let's give it a shot, shall we?"

"You'll accomplish nothing…" Agahnim croaked. "I am Ganon… death holds no power over me…"

"Yes, I heard about what happened when Father Brian snapped your neck. But you know, that doesn't mean you can't die." Link took up a stance for a flat thrust of the blade. "It just means… I need to do something like THIS." His uncle's sword ran straight into Agahnim's chest, piercing his heart. The wizard screamed, and his body began contorting, but Link wasn't finished. "Sahasrala gave me a few pointers, but I'm still not sure I'll do this right… but we've got to try, right, princess?"

"Right." Zelda walked up to him, and they each put a hand on the hilt of the sword, the hands bearing the Triforce emblem. Agahnim's screaming doubled in volume, and his contortions increased, as the third Triforce emblem on his own hand began wavering. "It needs something more… just a little more…"

"You mean like this?" Reaching down, Link picked up the dropped Master Sword with his free hand and placed it on top of his Uncle's. As the blades touched, Agahim's screaming died off in a gurgling sigh. The Triforce mark on his right hand flashed, and a moment later the entire limb exploded violently. Agahnim's duplicates dissolved into nothingness, as did Zelda's lances of light, and the wizard's body fell to the ground, broken.

"Yes…" Link smiled. "We did it. Now then… did we get him for good, or…" There was a moment of silence… and then a deep, booming bass voice.

"What do YOU think?" From the back of Agahnim's body, a hazy, ethereal form rose… the form of the massive monster they both recognized as Ganon. "Yes… YES! I LIVE! All you have done is free me from the body I was trapped in, fools!"

"That's nice." Zelda sighed and smiled. "The point stands… we beat you again. And by the time you return to your true body, we'll be long gone. It's been fun, Forger… we'll have to do this again some time."

"Oh, yes indeed…" Ganon purred. "Very, very soon. Go ahead and flee back to Hyrule… and prepare my palace for me. I'll be along shortly." Link and Zelda froze, motionless.

"…You're lying." Link snarled. "You're FULL OF IT! I rescued the girls… we stopped the barrier's deterioration! It never got so weak so that you could cross, and now it'll start healing again!"

"True… almost." Ganon agreed. "But do you recall what caused said deterioration in the first place?"

"Of course." Zelda snapped. "A massive blow to the barrier, caused by…" Her skin went pale. "By… all eight of us… crossing from Hyrule to the Dark World… oh, GODDESSES…"

"An effect which you repeated in full when you came to attack my castle… not once, but TWICE!" Ganon crowed. "AH HA HA HA HA! You've ripped the barrier asunder, fools… that portal in front of Hyrule Castle must be a mile wide by now! And even if you flee to Hyrule, there's nothing you can do to close it in time before I come on over! All that was needed was for me to vacate this body… a risk, but one I felt confident in! And I was right! I NEVER DIE! You've secured my victory… thank you very, very much. Now then… I'd estimate you have ten minutes. Maybe, just maybe, if you go to Hyrule right now, and make for the border without bothering to warn anybody else, you can be out of my range before I get to you… but I wouldn't count on it. Or maybe you could just give up and spend your last few moments here in a moment of passion between the two of you… ha ha ha. Whatever you want to do… it matters not." His ethereal shape transformed into a monstrous bat that blasted off through the hole in the glass wall. "In ten minutes, I end your lives… and reclaim that which is MINE! All of it! The Triforce, Hyrule, the world! EVERYTHING! It will all be mine! HA HA HA HA HA!" Link and Zelda remained fixed in place, frozen in horror, as he disappeared into the sky.

"…No." Zelda sank to her knees. "We… we fell right into his hands. He won… we handed him victory. There's nothing we can do…"

"There is always… something you can do… my princess." A dying man's voice croaked, and both Link and Zelda turned to stare at the withered body of Agahnim. With a phenomenal effort, he had lifted his face towards the two of them. "No, don't interrupt me… I don't have much time. By all rights, I should be dead and more… it's only my powers as a Sage that can keep my body animated for even a minute more. You were… very thorough." He coughed up a gout of blood. "You beat him… like this. And you… give up now? You can't. You have to… stop him. You're the only ones who can."

"But…" Zelda frowned. "He'll be in his true form… we can't stand against him like that…"

"You can and you did… you should remember, of all people…" Agahnim disagreed. "Once before… in the ruins of his tower. You stood before him, in all of his monstrous might… and you triumphed."

"…Yeah." Link slowly nodded. "We did… I remember. But even then… all we could do was defeat him. We couldn't kill him… and we don't have anywhere else to banish him to this time."

"And that is what he hopes you will think… but there is one way. One thing he fears… one only he knows." Agahnim smiled sadly. "And by extension… one that I now know as well, after his time inside my mind, corrupting my soul."

"You…" Zelda's eyes widened. "You know of a way… to kill Ganon?"

"Yes… one who aided you once, Link… has been laboring all of her time in this hell to find a way." Agahnim nodded, mouth spewing more blood. "Ganon goes to the Pyramid of Power, in the center of this Dark World… in the upper chamber of that structure is where his body, and the Triforce of Power, both rest. But that is not all that the Pyramid contains… in the lower area, the one who has his weakness is sealed away. Break that seal open, and seek her aid… and she will give you the means to slay the Forger of Power. It… and you… are the only hopes Hyrule has now." His eyes turned back in their sockets. "I am such a fool… I caused all of this strife. I know that this small gesture cannot make amends for what I have done… and yet… if it leads to the salvation of my beloved Hyrule… then I have not completely failed in my task. Link… Zelda… finally, I can add my blessings to those of my seven fellows behind you. Go… I beg you. You can… you will… triumph." His breath faltered, and then stopped. Link slowly drew his uncle's sword from the wizard's chest, then turned towards the hole in the glass wall.

"Come on, Zelda… we've got a job to do."

"But…" Zelda blinked. "How can we reach the Pyramid in time?"

"I have an idea." Link pulled his flute, as he still persisted in thinking of it, out of his pack. "This never worked in the Dark World before… but this instrument still has power. Especially in our hands. Perhaps it will sense our need… and make this possible." He played the summoning tune, and at first there was nothing… but then the flute began to glow, and a shimmering in the air grew into the flying familiar bird. Cawing, it took Link's hand, and he grasped Zelda's palm in his other. "Let's go."

"Yes." Zelda nodded, and the bird took off, flying out of the Tower of Ganon. "Wait, hold on… how can we break the seal open?" Link smiled.

"I've got contacts. Bird, down there." The bird obediently took them into a dive over the battlefield, where the fighting had ended.

"Boss!" Neosquid yelled. "What's going on?"

"Seriously bad news, and no time to explain it!" Link yelled. "You still have that Armageddon Apple?"

"Sure do!" Handy scrambled over to Bomb Boy, who removed it from a cart. Grabbing the monstrous sphere, the white-gloved hand hurled it straight at them, and Zelda caught it easily despite its size, holding it by the fuse. "There you go! You two just go do what you have to… we'll be waiting for the story when you're done!"

"Right!" Link grinned as the bird flew away from them. "Thanks, guys! All right, birdy… to the foot of the pyramid!" Ahead of them, now only a spot in the distance, they could see the monstrous bat Ganon had become. As it neared the top of the Pyramid, it swooped up, then nosedived straight through the roof, ripping a wide hole open. "Right… let's just hope it takes him a few minutes to wake up-oh, Goddesses." Ganon had been right; the massive, vertical blue square of energy was now at least a mile wide in front of the Pyramid. Cawing, the bird dropped them between it and the structure, and Link ran up the first set of stairs to the face of the second level.

"Let's just hope this works…" Zelda muttered as he lit it, then turned and started running. "Oh come on, the blast can't be THAT-"

"One thing I've learned about dealing with those two… when it comes to making stuff blow up, they're the kings!" Link grabbed her. "Get down!" They dived to the ground, and a moment later, the Apple exploded with a sonic disruption that defied noise. Even in their prone positions, the Hero and the Princess felt the heat wave from the explosion scorch their backs. After a few moments, they stood and stared. The entire front of the pyramid's second layer had been blown away, along with a good portion of where it had been sitting; even beyond the crater, the stairs were scorched and blackened for at least thirty feet.

"I don't want to know what my dress looks like, before you even ask." Zelda growled. "Now then, where's this prisoner he spoke of… oh. Oh, my." Link slowly smiled as a Great Fairy, tall and majestic, glided out from the hole.

"You know… I kind of had a feeling it'd be you."

"WHAT was THAT?" The Great Fairy of Courage blinked. "I am grateful for my freedom of course, but that was a bit… surprising… oh! Link, Zelda! It's you!" She suddenly frowned. "And this ominous power I'm feeling… Ganon!"

"Long story short, we've got five minutes before he blows this place sky high and barges back into Hyrule fifty feet tall and belching doomsday." Link explained. "Somebody in the know told us you've been working on a way to bring him down permanently. We need it, now, or everything that's been done to hold him back, ever, will all be for nothing." The Fairy's eyes widened.

"Well then… since you put it that way… first, give me your sword." Link nodded and handed her the Master Sword. "Hm… as I thought… it has weakened considerably. Whoever tempered it did a good job, but could not quite restore all of its strength. Now, though…" The blade began glowing, as golden as the sky above them. "NOW it is restored. All of it."

"And this can kill Ganon now?" Link took it eagerly, then paused. "No, wait… it was at full strength when we fought him in his true form before, but I couldn't kill him then."

"No… that is only the first step. Now, the Master Sword will be able to cripple him, as you did before… and that's where THESE come in." The Fairy stretched out her hand, and silver dust began to coalesce around the arrows in Link's quiver. "THIS is what I have been creating ever since Ganon sealed me away. You remember the Arrows of Light, that could disrupt Ganon's dark powers, yes? These are the upgraded version. The Silver Arrows… you will have to weaken him considerably before you can use them, for he will not be brought down easily by the same trick. But if you can hurt him to the point that he is no longer able to guard against them, then these arrows will allow you to strike the finishing blow."

"Thanks." Link bowed quickly, and Zelda did the same. "All right, princess… let's go!"

"I won't be much help in the actual fight…" Zelda informed him as they ran up the steps of the Pyramid, towards the hole in the top. "My time magics were weakened against Agahnim… his true form will be practically immune to them. So I'll focus on his Triforce of Power… my own control of the Triforce of Wisdom is rudimentary compared to his grasp of his own piece, but as long as you keep him on the move, I should be able to counter his attempts to bring the Triforce into play. He'll have to use his own strength… and even that may be…"

"Not enough. I beat it before… and I'll beat it again. You know that, now." Link paused in front of the gaping hole at the Pyramid's peak. "This is it." He drank one of the four blue potions he had packed for the assault, then offered a second to Zelda.

"No…" She shook her head. "You'll need it more than I-"

"Take it." He insisted. "Please, Zelda. I'd never tell you this normally, but after everything we've been through today, you need it. I don't want to lose you now, after everything we've survived so far together. Please."

"…All right." Zelda drank the potion. "But Link… whatever happens down there… kill Ganon. You have to… no matter what. It's the only chance Hyrule has."

"We'll win." Link assured her. "We have to. Here… use this so he won't attack you." He handed Zelda the invisibility cloak. "Let's do it." He drew the Master Sword with one arm, and held her hand with the other, and together, they jumped down into the darkness. Landing on hard stone, they looked around in the darkness. "What's down here… can't see a thing."

"Allow me." A familiar, deep bass voice growled, and four firepits in the corners of the room flared to life. The entire room was constructed of solid gold, reflecting the firelight over and over again, solid bricks two feet square forming the floor, ceiling and three of the walls. The fourth wall, straight in front of them, bore wall murals of a pair of claws, each clutching the Triforce, and between them the face of the Forger. And then the mural of the face slid upwards, revealing a hidden door behind it. And Ganon emerged. "Ah… that was quite a nap. It's good to be back." Link and Zelda both shuddered, remembering how he had been when he first took the form of Ganon; a towering, raging beast, ten feet high with an insanely overdeveloped upper body, the head of a boar with a mane of orange hair and a pair of gigantic swords. Now, his body seemed more refined… that of a human, albeit an extremely tall and muscular one, clad in leather armor and a blood-red cape. A human skull on a pendant hung around his neck, and the swords had been replaced by a double-headed trident of bone. But Ganon was not a human, as was plainly visible from two things; first, the shaggy blue fur that covered his skin, and second, the head of the boar that still topped his form, eyes glowing fiercely. Looking down at them, Ganon blinked, and then began to chuckle. "Ha… ha… ha. So… I'm not just seeing things. When faced with the last few minutes of your lives, you charge headlong into your deaths. Decided to go down fighting futilely… how brave. Unless…" His sneer grew. "Unless you actually, somehow, think you have a chance?"

"Heh… there IS a precedent, you know." Link reminded him. "And I'm not just talking about thousands of years ago… when you first came to Hyrule as Agahnim the wizard, you never thought we would beat you in that form, not once but twice… did you?"

"No… you make a good point." Ganon admitted. "So… best not to take chances, hm?" He raised his arm, displaying the Triforce mark, and there was a flash of light. Link tensed himself for the attack… but none came. There was only Ganon staring at Zelda, whose own Triforce emblem was now glowing continuously.

"You… stopped that?" He grinned. "You actually wish to pit your mastery of the Triforce against mine? HA! Perhaps you can block my attempts at first… but not for long. I have spent MILLENIA here, mastering the Triforce of Power! Your Triforce of Wisdom may be just as mighty, but you know next to nothing as to how to properly use it! All you can do is block my attempts for a short time… before long, I will overpower you!"

"Wrong! You won't get the chance!" Link yelled, charging. Ganon's eyes widened in surprise again as the Master Sword slammed into his right arm. "Here and now, we're finishing this… finishing you! Once and for all!"

"Heh… are you quite done?" Ganon smirked, unconcerned. The Master Sword had sunk into the flesh of his arm, but no blood had spilled. "A good show, but you-HUH?" The wound had began emitting a blazing white light. "ARGH! How… you've… you've brought that cursed blade's strength back in full! HOW!"

"Does it really matter?" Link snarled, shoving the blade in further. "Here and now, we're beyond the need for explanations, I think… all that's left is the combat. The three of us, in the core of the Sacred Realm… what better circumstances could we ask for? Let's settle this once and for all, eh, Ganondorf?"

"Agreed… and it's GANON now." The Forger of Power growled, finally bringing his trident around to slam the Master Sword and Link away. "Now where did the Princess… what the…" While he had been distracted with Link, Zelda had slipped the Invisibility Cloak on, vanishing. "Clever girl…" Skidding across the floor, Link rose and charged again. Ganon blocked with the his trident, and Link smirked.

"Come on… you think that thing can stand up to the Master Sword?"

"Stand up? Heh… always the fool." Ganon twisted the trident, and as the Master Sword was knocked away, the weapon's other head stabbed into Link's arm. "Wound for wound-AH!" Without flinching in the slightest, Link had stabbed the Forger in the foot. Roraring, Ganon flung his enemy away again. "Enough of this!" Leaning back, he hurled the Trident through the air, spinning horizontally. Link easily ducked under it and ran at the Forger again, this time slashing him across the chest. Again and again he attacked, and Ganon grunted in pain at each strike, but then he smiled. "Got you."

"Look out, Link!" Zelda cried, too late; the trident speared into Link's back, and the Hero of Time fell.

"How…?" Link reached around to try and pull it out.

"Ha… after all you've seen, you're surprised that I can maintain control of my weapon in the air?" Ganon stomped over and slammed a hoof into Link's hand. "I could end this now, you know, whelp… but after everything you've done to me… that would be too easy." Grabbing the trident, he pushed it in deeper, then wiggled it around, causing Link to twist around in pain. "I'll bet that hurts…"

"Not… enough." Link grated. "Not now… not ever!" His other hand pulled the Cane of Byrna from his pack, and the force field sprang up, shoving both the trident and Ganon out and away from him. Bleeding heavily, Link stood and gripped the Master Sword firmly. "Come on… unless that's all you've got!"

"Hmph… time and time again, I underestimate you." Ganon's eyes narrowed. "Each time I think I've finished you, you come back as strong as ever… what is it? What is it that keeps you from giving in, from dying?" Link charged, and the sword and trident clashed once more. "Is it vengeance? Do you want payback for the ones I've killed? A sense of duty, perhaps? To your land of Hyrule, to your world, that you feel as a Hero?" Link was knocked back again, but not before opening up a gash on Ganon's left leg. He threw the trident again, and again Link avoided it, charged and attacked, slicing Ganon across the gut before turning and dodging the flying weapon's return to its owner's hand. Shaking his head, the Forger pointed at Zelda, still floating above them. "Is it for her? Is love what spurs you onwards in the face of death? Or is it pure bravery, the Triforce of Courage, running through your veins and removing your fear?" He paused and stared at Link. "Tell me. All of these things… I don't understand. I can't comprehend them… which of them is it that gives you such strength?"

"…All of them." Link replied, breathing heavily. "It's all of them combined, Ganon… retribution, duty, love, bravery… you can't understand them? Not at all? Not even a little?"

"I did once…" Ganon admitted. "When I was Ganondorf Dragmire… and again as Agahnim the wizard… I felt those things in some small part. When I was a man. BUT… NOT… NOW!" Raising his trident, he began twirling it over his head, and the two heads burst into flame. "Now, the man is gone… I am a monster! And a monster has no need for those things… he only needs POWER OVERWHELMING!" The fire on the trident expanded outward, breaking apart into a circle of flame that whirled around Ganon. "Can your strength carry you through this, Link? Can those things that drive you match my power?"

"You still have to ask?" Link demanded incredulously, charging. _Ether's no good… those fires are just too strong. I'll just have to break through!_ Despite what it looked like, the ring of fire was actually thin; charging through quickly, Link only suffered mild burns as he slammed the Master Sword into Ganon's chest. "I'll do more than match you… I'm going to destroy you! Brute strength can only do so much, Ganon… sooner or later, it always fails!"

"Ha…" Ganon grinned. "But I don't have just any brute strength… I am the essence of power itself! Got you again!" Link whirled around to see the circle of fire splitting apart, changing form, and becoming… bats. Bats of fire and flame that swooped at him head on. Pulling away from the Forger, Link dodged one bat after another… until Ganon's trident smashed him to the ground, and the last of the firebats followed it, hitting him full in the chest and covering his body in flames. "HA HA HA!" Ganon crowed, readying his trident for impalement as Link rolled around to douse the fires. "Do you still think you can match me?" He threw the trident at Link's head, but the Master Sword flashed up and knocked it away, blocking it even through the pain of the flames. Snarling, Ganon reclaimed it as Link stood back up once more.

"Always…" Pulling one of his two remaining potions from his pack, Link drank it. "I'll always get back up… I'll always be here. Every time you come at me… at Hyrule… I'll strike back. You can't get rid of me, Ganon… no matter how hard you try. Or Zelda either… both of us will always be here. Here to stop you… to bring you DOWN."

"Bah!" Ganon snorted, creating another circle of fire. "Bold words, as always! But the fact remains… you are mortal, and I am not! Struggle all you like, it will all be the same in the end!"

"Think so?" Link charged through the fire field again, but this time he chose a different target. Ganon's left shoulder, that of the arm holding the trident aloft. "So then… what happens if I do THIS?" This time, he ignored the firebats as they hit him, one after another; the flames spread over his body, but he pressed his assault on the Forger's left arm, hacking and slashing into it in a dozen places. Roaring, Ganon slapped him away with his right hand, but the damage had been done; the left arm was mangled, unable to raise the trident overhead and spin it to summon the firebats. Again, Link managed to douse the fires covering his body, and again he stood, scorched but still alive. "As I thought… that body of yours still has to obey SOME physical laws. You're left-handed… you can't wield that thing with anywhere near the same power using your other arm. And now that left arm is too torn up to pull off that trick."

"Perhaps…" Ganon conceded. "But I can feel that mine isn't the only side to suffer losses." His eyes upwards, to where Zelda was floating around somewhere, invisible.

"Link… I can't hold him back much more…" She panted.

"Ha… and therein lies your fatal flaw." Ganon purred. "No matter how strongly you fight, the fact remains that you lack any means to finish me… I am immortal. You've never been able to kill me, no matter how hard you try… even with the Master Sword, my life is the one thing you cannot take from me! And this time, you have nowhere to seal me away, no further prison to throw me into… I'm staying right here, and sooner or later, you'll both run out of steam. It's a valiant effort, but you can't win!"

"Really…" Link charged again, and when the trident came up, he slammed it away fiercely, jerking it out of Ganon's weakened hand. "In that case… what do you call THIS?" Pulling his bow out of his pack, he loaded a Silver Arrow into it and fired in one swift motion, aiming for Ganon's maimed left arm. The bolt of silver slammed home, and Ganon doubled over in pain.

"Aargh… another Light Arrow, like before? Painful, I'll grant you, but hardly… GUH!" The Forger's eyes bulged outward as every wound in his left arm suddenly began emitting silver light… and then the entire arm exploded, blowing apart into nothingness "ARRRRRGH!" Screaming, Ganon grabbed his trident in his right arm and charged like a bull, smashing Link with the weapon like a club over and over. "HOW? HOW? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

"So it works… I'll admit, for just a moment, I was worried." Link grunted, weathering the blows. "But it looks like she was right… your power isn't impossible to overcome. They're called the Silver Arrows, Ganon… and as you've seen, they can do what even the Master Sword can't." Bringing up said sword, he smashed the trident away from himself. "They can KILL YOU." He fired another Silver Arrow, this time into the wound in Ganon's chest. The Forger screamed as silver light blazed out from the cut, but he did not fall. "Looks like it'll take a few more… but you can feel it, can't you? Mortality. It's coming back to you. I can win… I have a way now. And as long as there's a way… I WILL triumph."

"ENOUGH!" Ganon roared, gripping his trident again. "You forget, boy, there's one thing you still rely on… a gift from me! One that I think it's time I took back!" The firepits in the corner of the room suddenly flickered, and then died, and the room was pitch-black once more. "HA! Now what? I can see in the dark, but you have no such luxury!" Link smiled.

"You think this will stop me? I have my own light to call on… you're not the only one who can play with fire." The Bombos Medallion burst into life, filling the room with flames, and relighting the firepits. Immediately, Link saw Ganon standing over him, trident descending towards his head. For one moment, the sudden burst of light caught the Forger off guard, and Link was able to knock the trident away and fire a third Silver Arrow into the chest wound. This time, Ganon fell to his knees as the holy light blazed through his veins. "Feeling afraid yet? Even a little? Just a tiny bit? I'm curious."

"Not at… all." Ganon grinned. "You are… doing well, lad. But don't get me wrong… even now, I feel no fear. Fear is for men… and I am a monster now."

"So I see." Link grinned. "Then… does that make me a monster too?"

"Perhaps it does." Ganon stood again. "All three of us… we are beings beyond the comprehension of anything, anybody, else. You two wear human forms still… but perhaps something inside you is just as monstrous as me. How else would you be able to stand against me for so long, to match my power even now?"

"How indeed… well, it doesn't really matter." Link drank his last potion. "This is it. Let's finish it."

"Agreed." Ganon charged, trident held in his remaining hand, and brought it down to stab, and Link brought the Master Sword up to meet it. Ganon grinned. "HA!" The trident's point burst into flame, and a single firebat flew out towards the Hero, smashing into his head. "Perish!"

"NO." Link hooked the Master Sword in between the trident's tines and jerked it away. His head burned, but he did not waver; calmly, emotionlessly, he brought up his bow with a Silver Arrow loaded. "I told you… not now, not ever. In your own words… I NEVER DIE. But here and now… YOU DO." The Silver Arrow speared Ganon's chest, into the twice-shot wound, and the Forger of Power flew back as if impaled on a lance. Silver fire spread out from the wound now, no longer satisfied with that one cut, covering his body like the flames of the firebats had burned Link. As Ganon writhed, the fires on Link's head vanished, dying down into smoke. Zelda flew down and stood next to him, removing the Invisibility Cloak, and together they watched as Ganon's body became a mass of silver energy, a skeleton wreathed in silver blazes. The only thing that did not burn was the mark of the golden Triforce on his right hand. Slowly, shaking, Ganon stood once more, straightening his back and gazing into their eyes.

"So… you win… Juror and Keeper. My brother and sister… well… done." He threw back his head and laughed, long and loud, one last time as the silver fires consumed him, becoming his form, and then dissipating, vanishing into nothingness. All that remained was a charred, blackened skeleton… not the skeleton of a monster, but that of a man. A human skull, not a boar's. And then even the skeleton collapsed into ash, all save the right hand… the hand that still held the Triforce mark.

"We… did it." Zelda whispered. "We won. We finally did it… he's dead."

"Yeah…" Link drew one last Silver Arrow, and shot the skeletal hand. The Triforce mark's glow increased, and it flew into the air, leaving the hand which decayed instantly. "What… now?" The Triforce mark seemed to regard him for a moment, and then it moved back, towards the door through which Ganon had walked. Following it, Link and Zelda came across a smaller room, containing a coffin-like bed, framed in gold like the rest of the pyramid with crimson drapes over it. "So… this is where his body slept for so long. But why are we… whoa." The Triforce marks on the backs of his and Zelda's hand had detached as well, flying into the air. The three glowing, golden triangles came together… and then they expanded, become three-dimensional. Solid. Real.

"The… Triforce." Zelda realized. "It's… come back together."

"_For the moment."_ A voice agreed inside their heads. "_The situation has warranted it. I am the essence of the Triforce."_

"The Triforce… is alive?" Link wondered.

"_No… I am simply a voice without a soul. I have no consciousness… simply directives."_ The Triforce explained. "_I am an artifact… a tool. Left by the Goddesses to grant the wishes of those who would someday discover me. By myself, I am not good or evil… unlike the Master Sword, I draw my rules from a different system. Power… Courage… Wisdom. Three factors. When I was claimed by Ganondorf Dragmire, I judged him compatible with only one of those… and so I sought out two who would maintain a balance. But now… that balance has been disrupted. You have destroyed the Forger of Power."_

"Yes…" Zelda nodded slowly. "So… what happens to the Triforce now? Could we… use it?"

"_That is what I was created for… to grant wishes."_ The Triforce confirmed. "_The Triforce of Power changed this land… turned the Sacred Realm into the Dark World, at the will and wish of Ganon. You can do similar, and greater things… changing the world."_

"Could we… undo everything that's been done to our world?" Link wondered. "All the damage, all the deaths that came from this madness… could we repair them?"

"_You could."_ The Triforce confirmed. "_You could have at any time… with the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage. You only need to learn how to use them."_

"But…" Zelda paused. "How long did it take Ganon to be able to use his Triforce THAT much? To change worlds?"

"_Centuries."_ The Triforce answered. "_Before, you two chose not to take his path, to extend your lives. Will you do so now?"_ Link glanced at Zelda, and they both shook their heads.

"No. We stand by our choices… we don't seek immortal power like Ganon did. All we needed the Triforces for was countering him… and that's over now. So… we'll have to give the power up and be satisfied with what we've done."

"…_There is another way."_ The Triforce continued after a moment. "_If all three aspects are united in a common purpose… the Triforce as a whole can be used, much easier than the individual pieces."_

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Zelda smiled. "Me and Link are agreed on this. And the Triforce of Power is without an owner now, unless…" Her eyes widened. "Wait. Are you saying…"

"_Yes."_ The Triforce confirmed. "_The soul of Ganondorf Dragmire is still in existence… and it is still tied to the Triforce of Power. After millenia in his role as the Forger of Power, even death cannot separate him from it."_

"…Then this was all for nothing?" Link growled. "He's still not gone?"

"_Do not be foolish, Juror of Courage."_ The Triforce admonished him. "_Ganon is dead. For now, Hyrule is safe. He cannot conquer it. True, he may return some day… but such a return will not be easily accomplished, and even if he is brought back to life, his knowledge and skill with the Triforce will be reduced by his time dead. You have won the day… be satisfied with that."_

"The artifact is right…" A familiar voice echoed from below the Triforce, and a hazy, indistinct figure formed. A tall, proud man in black armor, with olive skin and red hair.

"Ganondorf…" Zelda hissed.

"Yes. Ganondorf, not Ganon… and definitely dead. You saw to that quite thoroughly." The Gerudo King nodded. "Well done, both of you. Now, don't get so angry about the possibility of my return some day. After all…" He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You'll be there to fight me again, won't you?" Slowly, Link smiled as well.

"Yeah… you punk. We'll be there. Come back as many times as it takes for you to get the message… we'll pound you into the ground each and every time."

"That's the spirit!" Ganondorf laughed. "Now then… it seems we have a deal to conclude. You want to return Hyrule to the way it was before I did my little stint as Agahnim?"

"Yeah." Zelda nodded. "And to bring everybody back… everybody whose death came about as a result of your actions. My father… Link's uncle. Quincy, and Agahnim. Father Brian, and all the Knights of Hyrule. We want to fix it all."

"And that's not all…" Link continued. "This place… it's been the Dark World for too long. I want to restore it… turn it back to the way it was. The Sacred Realm."

"…Fair enough." Ganondorf nodded after a moment. "Well then… let's see here. I think I can live with those… but I want a couple things done too."

"Let's hear them." Zelda growled. "We still don't trust you, so don't get any ideas."

"Heh… of course not. Well, they're simple enough." Ganondorf shrugged. "First. Let me get something confirmed… Triforce, what is the current integrity of the barrier between the Sacred Realm and Hyrule?"

"_10."_ The Triforce answered.

"As I thought… so damaged that it would finish its own collapse within a few years anyways." Ganondorf nodded. "So. My first condition… you wish to restore the Sacred Realm? Fair enough. Then let's do it all the way. The barrier's gone anyways… so let's do away with all this nonsense about portals before everything starts dumping through randomly, and solidify the connection at the original point. Behind the Temple of Time."

"…Okay, that seems reasonable." Link nodded. "We don't exactly want every joe schmoe in the world going in there to muck around anyways."

"Exactly." Ganondorf nodded. "If you want to restore it, then let's keep it that way… we'll have enough to keep the three of us busy in Hyrule from now on anyways. This Realm has seen enough… it's time we left it alone. I won't be locked in here anyways when I come back, so there's no real reason to keep it like this… it's not like I have any attachment to the damn place. Hyrule is the domain I've always wanted."

"Stick to the point. You said you wanted things. Plural." Zelda remembered. "What else do we have to do to get you to go along?"

"One more… you wish to bring back the dead." Ganondorf remembered. "Something that is well within the Triforce's capabilities as a whole… one part alone could not, but all three together… we can do it. So… in addition to all the people you'll be restoring, I want to tack a rider on that." He held up his hands. "No, not myself… I know you'd never agree to that. Just a few… friends of mine. Five of them." Link blinked.

"…The Eyes? Why? Weren't they just thugs to you? Servants?"

"When I was a monster… yes." Ganondorf admitted. "But now… I am a man once more, albeit a dead one. Things have changed… my thoughts and emotions have. And not just now… when I was Agahnim, I was a man then as well. It took some time… I had been a monster for millenia before then. I had forgotten what it was like, being a man instead… but now I remember. I… had friends. Friends who I treated badly… who I sacrificed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not having a change of heart; I still think you're both do-gooder, sappy idiots who I'll get one of these days. But I owe the Eyes more than that… so if we're bringing back the dead from this conflict, let them be restored as well. To human forms, with human sanity… to the real world. Call it a retirement plan… they only worked for me because they were trapped here anyways, so without me they'll be no threat."

"…All right." Link slowly nodded. "I can agree with that. Zelda?" For a moment it looked like the Princess was going to resist, but then she sighed.

"Very well." She gave in. "One last question before we do this. When you died. You called us your brother and sister. Why?"

"Heh…" Ganondorf closed his eyes, still smirking. "Because we are… in a strange way. The three of us are attached to the Triforce… the Forger of Power, the Juror of Courage, and the Keeper of Wisdom. And… maybe it even goes deeper than that. It's a question I've wondered about. The artifact will claim that any connection we have is because it chose us… but maybe it's not being entirely truthful. Maybe we were destined to come together in these roles and claim it long before any of us were born. Look at it this way… hypothetically, if at some time in the future, I succeeded in taking the entire Triforce from you two. Would you stop coming back to fight me then?"

"Hell no." Link answered.

"So maybe the Triforce isn't everything." Ganondorf chuckled. "Maybe we are connected. I know, it's a disgusting thought… but if it's one thing I've learned over the millenia, it's that there are some things you can't change."

"…You might have a point." Zelda conceded. "But don't think that means we'll hesitate to kick your butt next time you try something."

"Heh… I'd be disappointed if it did." Ganondorf grinned. "Well, then… shall we get to work?"

"Yeah." Link nodded. Together, the three of them placed their palms upon the Triforce. "Let's do it." The three triangles began glowing brighter and brighter, emitting a golden aura that blinded them, and filled the room… and then out over the Pyramid, spreading across the Sacred Realm.


	16. Epilogue & Author's Note

**_Epilogue_**

"All right, let's go, lad! Time to wake up!" Uncle Albert's booming voice rang in Link's ears. "Way past time, in fact! Let you sleep in ten minutes! I must be getting soft in my old age!"

"Yeah, like a brick." Link muttered, rising from his bed. "I'm coming already."

"What was that?" Albert whirled around. "Try again, lad!"

"Sir, yes sir." Link gave in.

"Good!" The old Knight harrumphed, turning back to the door. "Can't have you getting a big head now with all this Hero of Time whatnot! Just remember that! Now then, today's the big day so don't go wearing any of those newfangled Goron or Zora clothes! Stick to the formal green tunic, you got me?"

"I'd dispute the classification of those as newfangled, since those things are older than you are, but fine." Link sighed, pulling on his green tunic.

"That's the way, lad. Now come on downstairs, breakfast is waiting." Albert grunted and led the way down. After they had eaten, he crossed to the weapons cabinet. "Right then, you'll insist on that shiny shield of yours, I'll take it… kids these days. Wasn't it enough for you to ruin mine? Red and wide enough to cover an elephant now! Still, I'll have to take it, there's no helping it. At least you didn't break my sword… and you've got a decent blade to call your own now…" He paused. "You haven't taken it back yet, have you?"

"No, Uncle Al." Link smiled. "That's later today, after the ceremony."

"Good, good." Albert nodded. "Well, we might as well be off…" He paused. "What are you grinning like that for?"

"Oh, nothing." Link shook his head. "I'm just glad you're back, Uncle Al."

"Yes, well…" Albert scratched his head. "It's good to see you too, lad… you did good. Ahem… anyways, we can't sit around chit-chatting here all day! Let's head off!"

"Yeah, yeah." Taking up the Master Sword, Link followed Albert north, towards Hyrule Castle. The entire population of the kingdom seemed gathered out front; Link saw all of his friends from Kakariko were closest to the bridge. Even Simon was there, fully recovered from his time as a tree. As he and Albert approached, they let out a loud cheer. Next were the Knights of Hyrule, lining the two sides of the bridge in formation. As one, they drew their swords with a steely rasp; Sir Remus and Sir Romulos holding theirs particularly high. Finally, in front of the gates, the descendants of the seven sages and their daughters formed a circle. Sahasrala, beaming like the sun; Aginah, smiling just a bit sardonic at all the formality; Morris, happy but still a bit vague; Tom, looking uneasy in the formal wear but still maintaining a grin; Quincy, quietly nodding his approval; Agahnim, wearing a smile despite a strange gloom in his eyes. Their daughters echoed their expressions more or less. And in the back of the circle, King Lucas and Zelda, both waiting quietly. Together, Link and Albert took their positions completing the ring and bowed to their rulers.

"Rise, both of you." Lucas instructed them. "You, of all men, have no need to pay me obeisance… if we were being honest, the other way around would be more likely." His eyes twinkled above his huge white beard.

"Father." Zelda chided him. "Be serious."

"Ahem, yes…" Lucas coughed. "Link… you have performed a great service for Hyrule, and for this world. By defeating the Forger of Power, you have saved us all from the great cataclysm, and the threat of monsters from the Dark World has been forever quelled. For that, there can only be one reward fitting enough. Link… I would like to offer you my daughter's hand in marriage, and my throne after I have gone on." Link stiffened up and stared at Zelda.

"_What? I thought we talked about this!"_

"_Believe me, I tried."_ Zelda replied telepathically. "_But he just wouldn't listen. Kings get like that sometimes. You'll have to tell him yourself… there's no way around it."_

"Your majesty… your offer is more than I could have ever asked for." Link replied formally after a moment more of thought. "But I'm afraid that for the moment… I must decline." The spectators gasped and began muttering to themselves in astonishment. "Myself and the princess have agreed on this… my task is not yet completed. The Forger is defeated… but we fear he shall return someday. Hyrule must be ready for this threat." King Lucas nodded sadly.

"Your point has merit, Hero… what do you plan to do?"

"I will travel overseas, and visit other kingdoms." Link answered. "Many other lands in this world have ties to Hyrule… ties that must be strengthened. When the Forger returns next, he will be free of the Sacred Realm… and so Hyrule must be ready to respond instantly the moment he threatens it. Hyrule, and those allied with her. Holodrum… Labrynna… Termina… and other kingdoms. Many of them are settled by people whose descendants once lived in Hyrule. They will listen to me. And also, I will search for other legends… other artifacts and mysteries with power to stand up to Ganon. But never fear, your majesty… I will return, someday. And then… if the offer still stands… then, I will be only too glad to accept." King Lucas glanced at his daughter, who nodded firmly.

"It will, Hero. As long as I still breath. Go, then… do what you have to for the kingdom. We will be waiting for you." They embraced formally, then turned and raised their arms to the crowd, who cheered enthusiastically. At that point, somebody in the back-Link had a pretty good idea who-broke out the fireworks and other party implements, and the formal scene turned into a bash, slowly moving back towards Kakariko.

"Well, then." Link sighed as he looked around. The Knights had remained, although some of them had looked tempted to join the festivities, as had the sages… most of them. "Hey… where's Agahnim?"

"He's… leaving Hyrule." Jean, his daughter, replied quietly. "He didn't want us to tell you until after this ceremony, but he decided to after you brought him back to life… I think he still blames himself for everything that happened. I'm really far too young to be taking the position of the forest descendant, but we couldn't talk him out of it… not even a command from King Lucas worked."

"Oh, you'll do just fine." Sahasrala chuckled. "It's maybe a five-year head start on your friends… ten at the most."

"Speak for yourself, you old fogey." Albert grumped. "I'm planning on holding onto my second shot at life for as long as I can."

"Then how come I saw you face down in an ale keg the very night you came back?" Aginah muttered.

"Oh, like THAT's bad for you." Albert argued.

"Enough, friends." Quincy laughed. "We're all alive again, Hyrule is safe… let's enjoy the rest of our lives in peace, eh?"

"Yes, well…" King Lucas glanced back towards the castle. "On that note… now that the citizens are gone, there is one more matter that needs to be taken care of."

"Yeah… we should probably get that over with." Link sighed. "Let's go."

"Okay, okay, here's a new one." The tall, thin, scarecrow-like man in the prison cell grinned, brushing back a shock of flaming red hair. "A Knight of Hyrule, Volvagia and Lord Jabu-Jabu walk into a bar…"

"ENOUGH, Blind." A short, stout man with close-cropped black hair groaned, polishing his glasses. "Stop. Please. Your jokes were painful when you first started them. At this point, my brain's trying to climb out my ear and make a break for it."

"Like you're a comedy genius, Vitreous." Blind muttered, leaning in a corner.

"Come on, you two." A woman with hair the same color as Blind's hanging down around her head in loose locks sighed. "Stop bickering."

"Actually, I like his jokes, Arrghus." A fourth inmate, a beautiful Gerudo woman, smirked. "It's not like we've got anything else to do here."

"Why thank you, Mothula my dear! If that's the case, forget the one I was winding up to, I've got an extra-raunchy special just for you!" Blind's eyes glittered. "Ever heard the one about the nun and the traveling cucco salesman?"

"They're coming." The cell's final occupant, a lanky man even taller than Blind, spoke for the first time in hours from his position at the cell's door. Like Vitreous and Arrghus, he was wearing glasses, and his hair was a long mane of icy blue.

"Eh?" Blind scrambled over to him, and the others followed suit. "Well damn me, Kholdstare, you're right. Looks like we're finally getting paroled, fellas! And we didn't even have to bribe anybody!"

"All right, you psychopaths, away from the door." Link commanded, and the twenty Knights behind him and Zelda nodded. Grumbling, the former Eyes of Ganon complied, and the Hero of Time opened it.

"I still don't like this." Zelda muttered. "I wouldn't trust a single one of these creeps further than they could throw themselves."

"That would be interesting to watch." Blind commented.

"We made a deal." Link reminded the princess. "Everybody we care about came back. This was the price. We've set up safeguards. It'll be fine. Okay, go ahead and open the other one now." The Knights opened another cell and brought out the surviving denizens of the Dark World; those who had not taken part in the battle before Ganon's Tower, but had hidden away until the end. "All right, you idiots. You probably don't recognize these five, but…"

"Oh, I'm sure they do." Kholdstare disagreed, smiling unpleasantly. The prisoners shrank back, and Blind grinned.

"Hey, remember the time me and Mothula played a game of toss-the-civilian-on-fire in the middle of town square? Ha! Good times, huh?" The prisoners blanched.

"I think they've figured it out now." Zelda remarked to nobody in particular.

"Yeah." Link sighed. "Anyways, these five goons are in charge of you now. Let's go, all of you, up to the surface." The Eyes strolled along happily, Blind humming a little tune as he did, and the other prisoners followed somewhat more reluctantly. Escorted by the Knights, they were taken out of Hyrule Castle, where the remaining forces of the kingdom joined them and took them to the southern border of the kingdom. Once they had reached it, Link called a halt.

"So… what now?" Vitreous inquired. "We're free to go? Just like that?"

"To a degree." Zelda nodded. "You're on your own now… as long as you stay away from here. Go wherever you wish, but never return to Hyrule. We'll all be keeping an eye out for you, pardon the term, and if you ever come back…"

"We get the picture." Arrghus nodded. "It's better than we hoped for."

"Well, just don't get TOO comfortable… WE'll be keeping an eye on you two." From a nearby tree, two Hylians clad in black dropped down. One was male, one female; they both had pale skin, and even paler hair, snow-white. On their faces were matching pairs of sunglasses.

"Hey hey! Guys! Good to see you again!" Blind crowed. "I was hoping I'd get the chance to see what you really looked like! Not bad!" The other Eyes looked blank for a moment, and then Mothula smiled.

"Don't tell me… Handy and Neosquid?"

"Got it in one, babe." The male nodded. "And with brand-new ranks and positions to boot. We're the heads of the CHS… Covert Hyrule Squad. All us former Rag members plus some local stooges called the Bronze Hands are now going to be the kingdom's secret service… and foremost among our tasks is keeping tabs on YOU clowns. So don't get TOO out of hand."

"Yeah, yeah, be careful, Eyes of Zelda are everywhere, we got it." Blind rolled his eyes. "Anything else, or can we get kicked out of the kingdom already?"

"Actually… one more thing." Link smiled evilly. "I don't suppose you could do me a favor and tell me which of these two is which? They still won't spill…" Handy and Neosquid jumped.

"HEY! That's… that's… that's cheating!" The female of the pair protested. "Don't think we're going to pay you off for that!"

"Like you're EVER going to pay up on those bets." Link made a rude noise. "I didn't even place any. Well?"

"Heh…" Kholdstare slowly smiled. "The male is Neosquid… the female, Handy."

"We'll get you for that, Kohldstare." Neosquid threatened. "Don't think we won't."

"You'll have to catch us first!" Blind crowed. "Come on, you maniacs! Look out, Labrynna! HA HA HA!" Cheering, the mob charged off to the south. "Okay, first thing we need to do is find a boat. Now, we don't have any cash, so who knows their way around a dock under cover of night?" The meaningless chatter continued until they were far away from Hyrule, and the eyes of their pursuers.

"All right, they're gone. It'll have to be now… you'll want to get clear of us while you can, before they start keeping tabs." Vitreous decided.

"Yeah." Mothula agreed.

"You're sure you won't reconsider, babe?" Blind glanced at the Gerudo warrior. "We're gonna be having a blast… do you really need him?"

"…Yeah. Yeah, I do." Mothula nodded slowly. "Sorry, fellas… but that's the way it has to be. You're all free of him… you're right to want to never get involved again. But for me… this is what I am now. It's what I have to be."

"…Okay." Blind slowly nodded. "Then… just gimme a buss for the road, huh?" He grabbed Mothula in a sloppy smooch before she could protest, then jumped away before she could go for the sword at her waist. "Just for my time! We'll lead 'em off from yas! Now get going!"

"And hey… good luck." Arrghus smiled, and her brothers did as well. Waving, Mothula left her friends and set off to the west. Once she was clear of them, she paused.

"All right. Come on out. I know you're there, whoever you are… and that you're not the Hero, or the Sage, or one of their little spies. Let's see your face." After a moment, the man who had been following her ever since she had left Hyrule stepped out from behind a tree, and her eyes widened. "You?"

"Yes…" Agahnim the wizard smiled sadly. "Me."

"But…" Mothula blinked, confused. "What are you doing? You're free of my master now… you have a life in Hyrule. Duties. A daughter. Right?"

"…Not really. Not any more." Agahnim sighed. "Ever since… I came back to life… I felt different. More violent, more callous… and with an urge in my head to follow my master. He stayed inside me too long… he corrupted me. If I remained in Hyrule, sooner or later… I'd cause a disaster. So instead… I leave it behind, and come with you. For the same reason you left the others." His eyes began glowing. "To find those who can bring back Lord Ganon… and serve them in any way possible."

"…I see." Mothula slowly nodded. "You realize… the ones we search for do not take kindly to failure, and they have no care for whatever previous rank we might have held. Chances are we'll be rank and file…maybe a step or two above, but nowhere near the Eyes of Ganon."

"Does it matter?" Agahnim shrugged. "We serve him. That is all."

"…Yeah." Mothula nodded. "All right then… it'll go quicker with somebody else along, I suppose. It'll take a while… I honestly have no idea where they are. But sooner or later, we'll find the ones who can bring him back… we'll find Koume and Kotake. And Lord Ganon shall return to us."

"It's a nice sunset today." Link observed from his position atop Hyrule Castle's roof. Zelda, sitting next to him, nodded in agreement.

"Yeah… not as pretty as the ones in the Sacred Realm now, but that's not exactly a fair comparison."

"Yeah." Link nodded. "What are we going to do about that place, anyways?"

"Seal it up and forget it is my vote." Zelda decided after a moment's thought. "We can brick the actual entrance up, then collapse those tunnels behind the Temple of Time… Sanctuary… whatever. Then nobody will ever be able to bother it again."

"Good call in our book, your highness… that place has seen enough trouble." A voice behind them concurred. Link and Zelda didn't stir as Handy and Neosquid sat down next to them. "Hope you don't mind… just wanted to stop by for a moment."

"It's fine." Link assured them.

"Cool… hm. That IS a nice sunset." The two maniacs looked at the sky for a moment, then shrugged. "Hell with it." For the first time Link could remember, they voluntarily doffed their dark-tinted glasses, revealing eyes as red as blood.

"Heh… you knew an ancestor of mine well, I think you said once." Zelda remembered. "Pretty cryptic… I never would have guessed the two of you were Sheikah."

"Nobody else does, either… that's why we wear the damn things." Neosquid shrugged. "It just makes things easier… it's a pain when everybody's always expecting you to go around mysteriously appearing out of nowhere, offering advice and then vanishing in flashes of light. I wish I knew who set that stereotype so I could have you send me back in time and kick them in the head."

"…Aheh." Zelda chuckled a bit nervously. "That… would be a bit much even for me, I think."

"It was just a thought." Handy chuckled. "Anyways, yeah, we worked for the royal family back then too. Not in as much of a capacity as we are now, though… seriously, this gig is a psycho nut's dream. WE'RE the black ops cover-uppers now. WE have the power. It's awesome." She paused. "We're thinking of setting up an HQ… calling it Area 92 or something. What do you think?"

"Hey, whatever you guys figure will work." Link shrugged. "You're the experts."

"Excellent." Neosquid steepled his hands. "Now we just need to get our hands on some black helicopters… I don't know what a helicopter IS, but some crazy purple bat we've recruited for R&D assures us we'll need them." Link's eye twitched.

"Well, uh… good luck with that."

"Right!" Neosquid grinned. "So, I'm guessing you two want to be alone now, huh? Ah, I remember when we were like that… you remember those days, partner?"

"Oh, yes." Handy nodded solemnly. "Then you grew tentacles and suddenly the appeal vanished. I don't know what the hell the freaks who published those sick comics Blind liked were thinking."

"No comment." Zelda stated firmly.

"Yeah, I suppose that's not exactly what you'd want to be thinking about right now." Neosquid conceded. "All right, we'll leave you kids in peace… come on partner, let's go see what Bronze Roger's blown up NOW." Putting their shades back on, they vanished as quietly as they had come.

"They didn't even throw a Deku Nut down." Link complained. "You'll have to give them pointers."

"Shush. If they find out I'm the one to blame for the stereotypes, they might start an opposing political party or something." Zelda hushed him. Link blinked.

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"From THEM?" Zelda shuddered. "Imagine what the flyers would be like." Link led his mind wander, than smacked himself in the face.

"Point. Ugh. VERY good point. Never mind." They both fell silent, looking out over the kingdom together, as the sun finished setting and gave way to night.

"So." Zelda spoke at last, once the last of the daylight was gone. "When are you… you know… leaving?"

"In a while." Link shrugged. "A season or two… two would be better, I think. Three, maybe… or maybe a year. Idunno… we'll figure it out. Not for a while, though… after everything that's gone on in the past month, I DEFINITELY need some down time."

"Yes, it was rather exciting, wasn't it…" Zelda agreed. "So you'll just be relaxing until then?"

"Oh, I'm sure I'll find some things to do with my time." Link replied, deliberately keeping his tone casual. "I'll have to get Uncle Al used to the solo bachelor life again… Neosquid and Handy could probably use some help setting up their CHS, too… and of course, I'll have to drop by the castle all the time to bug you."

"I won't mind." Zelda promised, then paused for a moment before continuing. "Link… do we have to do this? Do you have to go… so far away? For so long?"

"I do…" Link nodded reluctantly. "And we both know it. Hyrule has to be ready. In our previous incarnations, even after we banished Ganon we spent the rest of our lives preparing for his return. We have to do the same here. I don't think he'll be brought back to life that quickly… not in our current lifetimes. But he will return, some day, and we'll be reborn to fight him once more. We have a duty… damn it." He bowed his head. "I… wanted to say yes."

"You…" Zelda looked puzzled for a moment, then blinked. "You mean… when my father asked…"

"Yeah." Link kept his head lowered. "Even though I knew what we had to do… what we had planned… I still wanted to tell him yes, to forget the duties… to be with you. I wanted to so much… and I couldn't. I'm sorry, Zelda."

"…It's okay." Placing a hand under his chin, she forced him to look up and see her face, smiling. "It'll be fine. Time doesn't mean all that much to us… Ganondorf was right about one thing. We're different from other people. He was… you and me are, too. We can wait."

"…Yeah." Link smiled as well. "We can."

"Just… come back to me." The Princess stared into his eyes. "Promise me… after you leave… that one of these days, you'll come back and stay with me. If you promise me that… then I'll be able to bear it."

"I promise." The Hero of Time vowed. "I'll come back. Wait for me, Zelda… I'll always come back to you. After this journey, and after every one… now, and forever. Nothing will ever keep us apart."

And in the moonlight, the Hero and Sage of Time embraced and kissed each other.

**_Author's Note_**

"Well, it looks like we're finally over and done with." Sahasrala sighed, closing the door of the Sanctuary and turning to look at his compatriots. "Morris? How's the checklist look?"

"Mm… wrapup of dangling plot threads, check… brief finales for important secondary characters, check…" The descendant of the Sage of Shadow winced. "Ominous foreshadowing-poor Agahnim getting stuck with that-check… final romantic scene, check. Looks like it's done, all right."

"About time too." Aginah grumbled. "I'm an old man, I can't do this any more. I need a week's vacation on Yoshi Island."

"I'm not even going to ask where that is." Jean, the newest member of the circle, sighed. "You old men are weird, you know."

"That's what old men are like." Tom shrugged. "You'll get used to it. Well, if we're done then we might as well-"

"Hold it." Albert slammed the door open, face like a thundercloud. "We're not finished here yet. One more thing to do just came in the mail."

"What?" Tom grabbed the checklist from Morris. "Everything on here is finished. What more does he want from us? Making the moon fall?"

"Don't give him ideas." Albert groaned, tossing a few letters to Sahasrala. "Take a look at who those are from."

"Hm… Spekkio, End of Time… Horzat, Planet Magani… Deis, City of Wisdon… oh, this isn't good."

"Now what do those names all have in common… it'll come to me, give me a moment…" Quincy's eyes widened. "Oh. AW, NO."

"Afraid so." Albert flopped down on a pew. "He'll be coming by any moment now, and WE get to deal with him. Those guys sent us warnings." Jean stared at the grim-faced old men.

"What the HELL are you guys talking about?" She demanded. "WHO's coming by?"

"Who do you THINK?" Aginah growled. "The head man. The big cheese… limburger, by the way. You-know-who." Jean looked like she would start cursing, but then it dawned on her.

"You mean-"

"Hey." The door opened, and a man walked through. With his black tunic, pale skin and shades he looked much like Handy and Neosquid, save for a long mane of indigo hair. "Sorry I'm late. Some idiot Helmarok made a u-turn straight into my face above Holodrum."

"You blew him up, didn't you?" Sahasrala demanded. "That's just GREAT. We NEEDED that guy. But we're just old farts, what do we know? Go ahead and ruin the future games, we don't care!"

"Hey, old guys kick ass." The strange man shrugged, sitting on a pew. "Now if I could just convince my editor of that. And no, I didn't blow up the Helmarok King. I just spiked him into the ocean. Birds can swim, right?"

"Somehow, the realization that I am meeting the man behind the scenes does not give me faith in higher powers." Quincy intoned sardonically.

"Quiet or I'll go back and give you even fewer lines." The weird man growled, then pulled out a piece of paper. "All right, enough screwing around. Let's get this show on the road, I've got a meeting in Corneria in an hour."

**Thank Yous And Legalities**

"What is that?" Jean demanded, staring up at the bolded words. "Did you do that? Get rid of it! Do you have any idea what'll happen if Father Brian sees THAT?"

"It's okay, I already wrote him a conversation with Bronze Roger over a missing candlestick that'll keep him occupied for a good half hour." The strange man shrugged. "Anyways. Let's see here… oh yes, gotta get this out first. I don't THINK anybody's having a self-insertion aneurysm right now, but on the off chance that somebody is, the Author's Note doesn't count in my book, okay?"

"Which book would this be, mm?" Morris inquired mildly, then grunted as seven hardcover tomes appeared in his arms, the last one missing a back cover and sprouting pages continuously.

"That enough for you?" The weird man glanced back to his paper. "Okay, now I gotta put this in. Zelda, all of their games and characters, and everything related, are THEIR copyright, and I make no claim to them. I'm just doing this for kicks. However, this novelization IS mine, and all of my own characters such as Handy and Neosquid are mine as well. Try to put this up somewhere else under your name or use my characters, and you'll have a certain judge of California who just happens to be my father ramming a gavel so far up your-"

"EASY, kid." Albert cut him off. "PG-13, remember?"

"Oh… yeah." The strange man coughed. "Sorry. I doubt it'll happen anyways, it never has so far, but I've seen it happen to other people, so I gotta put that down clear. Anyways, now that that's out of the way, let's get some thank-yous going! First and foremost, to Super Editor, my little brother DS, for keeping me mostly typo-and-plothole-free."

"About time you mentioned me, you hack." Another bizarre man, this one wearing a grey cloak, climbed in the window. Looking up at the bolded words, he sighed. "You misspelled that. Here, I'll fix it so that nobody notices." He waved a hand.

"Two of them now!" Aginah exploded. "Damn it, that's it! Come here, you!" He charged at the grey-cloaked man, who yelped and dived back out the window he had entered by.

"Okay…" The first weird man rolled his eyes. "Moving on… next to my old buddy and mentor, Erico; I don't talk with him as often as I'd like, but he's still a good pal who I owe for getting me into this business. I'll catch up to you one of these days, bardman. After him come the other four pals on the internet I've known for five plus years. To the Ethereal Ferret, Mister Chimpo, Lark and Chibi Schala, thanks for putting up with my rambling."

"Is that demon wearing a sombrero?" Jean demanded, looking at a picture on the page that the weird man was holding.

"Yeah. If you ever meet him, watch out. It bites. And finally, the sorta-kinda-almost good folks at Snipe Hunt, formerly Hazard Labs, a website I hang out on. It's no good posting a link, but if you're curious hit the 'homepage' in my profile. It's worth checking out." The strange man glanced up at the bolded text overhead. "Right, next section…"

**Letters I Get!**

"Stop that." Sahasrala swatted at the bolded text with a cane ineffectively.

"Quit your griping, this is usually a pretty short section." The weird man muttered. "As you can probably tell, this is where I try and answer any questions posed in reviews that haven't already been explained adequately in the story proper. And I LIKE reviews… and e-mails, for that matter. Makes me feel good knowing that people like what I do. Anyways… first off, C. Shannon asked if the trick on Vitreous with the Somaria Blocks actually works." He coughed. "Well, um… I'm afraid not. You can't have more than one block on the screen at once in the actual game, see. I think here, more than any of my previous works, I fudged around the edges with what Link could do with his items and abilities. But it all worked out in the end as far as I can tell, so it should be fine. The only other real thing of note in this section is that several people caught the mention of Project Nightmare. Those who guessed that it was a setup for Link's Awakening were right. I've decided that if I can, I will indeed write sequels to my non-Mega Man Novelizations in time. So all you Metroid and Breath Of Fire fans, just wait… they'll be along. Sorry Chrono Trigger lovers, my opinion on THAT remains unchanged… although if you're a fan of Square in general you might get something else soon to keep you happy. We'll see. Okay, that's it for that section…"

"If you mess with that stuff again, I'm clipping you one." Albert threatened.

"Easy, colonel. It's for the last time." The strange man glanced at the bolded text.

"Well, all right." Albert muttered as it changed. "But you better get rid of it soon."

**Pointless Blather And The Future**

"Well, how do I put this…" The weird man thought for a moment. "While I was working on this one, I've been thinking… my ultimate goal, after I've written all the novelizations I want to, is to eventually put out my own original material and get that published. In order to do that, of course, I'll have to get my skill level up to a certain point… something I think I'm making definite progress towards. I seem to be growing in popularity, I think. Logic tells me I should expand on that… I've been considering getting a website set up for a while now, if for no other reason than to put my stories up in their "true" form, minus tampering from upload system… most noticeably, removal of scene breaks. I know it's happening, and there's nothing I know of that can stop it. I'm sorry, it's out of my hands. Oh well. We'll just have to see what the future holds. Speaking of which, those who've been following me for a while now have probably already guessed what's next. That's right fellas, it's Mega Man 6. What can I say, the pattern works. After that… well, like I mentioned above, think Square. And then maybe someday we'll get to those other sequels. Until then, I think it's time I stopped badgering my characters… well, Nintendo's really, but the point stands." A chorus of approval came from the Sage descendants. "All right, fine. I'll get out of here." He turned to walk out of the door.

"And take this with you!" Jean wrenched the bold text out of the air and hurled it out the door after him, smiling and closing the door as she heard a muffled grunt of pain.

"Agahnim's daughter seems to have potential." Sahasrala observed.

"I heard that!" The strange man's voice bellowed. "See if you get any parts in Link's Awakening, then! Bah!" The sound of a teleportation was heard, and then there was silence in the Temple of Time.

_Magus523, April 13 2006 _


End file.
